Coffee with five sugars, please
by zakari-little-lion
Summary: Amelia just moved to Seattle, looking for a new start, far away from all the haunting memories in LA. Arizona is still trying to adapt to her daily life as a divorcee and doing her best to insure her daughter's happiness. They're both in a pretty vulnerable place, where lines cross and things get blurry. They don't exactly know which way to turn, so what happens when they meet?
1. CATCHING ON

I just wanna say thank you a lot to samarahA for betaing this and making sure it's readable and understandable!

* * *

**CHAPTER 1 – CATCHING ON**

Arizona was waiting, more or less patiently, for the bell to ring the end of the school day.

She was probably as excited, if not more, as the children inside the classes waiting for this Monday to be over. It was her week with her daughter. She couldn't wait to see Sofia and have some real down time with her instead of the few minutes at a time they had shared last week. Her schedule had been so hectic that she had barely managed a few minutes to stop by at day care and kiss Sofia. Her maternal side was longing for bath times and silly games and cuddles.

Just as she was about to look at the phone for the time again, a loud noise informed her the street was about to be overwhelmed by a small army of shrieking children in a few moments.

Sofia came out soon after, jumping around and came to a halt when she passed the front gate, one hand firmly clasped into Zola's as her gaze scanned the crowd for her mommy. Eventually her eyes fell onto her and both little girls ran towards her with wide smiles onto their features.

"Mommy!" Sofia crashed into her legs with all her might, her arms coming around to hug them, letting go of her friend's hand.

"Hello Arizona!" Zola greeted enthusiastically and waved at her.

"Hello girls," she greeted and waved back, her other hand tangling into her daughter's messy hair. "How are you doing?"

"Fine now that school's over. I mean, I like school but I like the hospital better," Zola said warmly.

The pediatric surgeon chuckled, that little girl was obviously her parents' daughter. "Of course you do," she teased and then looked at her daughter. "What about you, baby? Good day or bad day?"

"Awesome day! Ms. Vandal made us read a really hard word today and I was the first to get it right."

"That's great! What was the word Sof'?"

Sofia shrugged. "I don't remember? Something with lots of O's in it?"

A loud cough coming from behind them got all their attentions and the three girls turned around to face the intruder. The woman was about as tall as Arizona and dressed casually. Arizona knew instantly the brunette wasn't some other mom waiting for her kid because otherwise, she would have remembered that pretty face from the parents crowd from before today.

"Sorry, I think you have a little something that belongs to me," the woman said, her head mentioning to Zola as her fisted hands buried themselves into her pants' back pockets nervously.

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed, confused, and the African-American kid didn't lose anytime to mirror Sofia's attitude from a few moments ago and launched herself towards the stranger.

"Auntie Amelia!"

The brunette knelt just in time to catch her, a little huff escaping her as her niece ran into her opened arms. Arizona felt her worry subside away and relief ran through her instead.

"Oof! I don't remember my niece being quite so grown up. What have you done to Zola and who are you?" she joked as she stood up. She settled her onto her hip, her forearm wrapped securely under her butt and the other rubbing her back tenderly.

"You're silly! It's me, I'm Zola!" she giggled, Sofia following along. "Tell her it's me, Zona."

Arizona smiled kindly at the woman, Auntie Amelia it would appear. "Yep, that adorable munchkin is definitely Zola Sheperd. Arizona Robbins," she introduced herself and held out her hand to shake. "And this is Sofia, my daughter."

"Hi," the little Latina smiled shyly, her hand finding her mommy's one and squeezing tightly.

"Amelia Sheperd," she shook the offered hand. "So you're the infamous Sofia."

One of Derek's numerous sisters then, it explained why the pediatric surgeon couldn't place her. She felt her daughter's grip tightened onto her fingers.

"You know me?" Sofia's voice didn't hide her apprehension well.

"Sure," the brunette said with a warm smile. "You're the adorable kid standing in a Moana outfit next to little cosmonaut Bailey on the picture on the fridge. Plus Zola and Bailey never stop talking about you on the phone. I think you're their best friend in the whole wide world. I love your necklace by the way," Amelia winked.

"Thanks. Mama gave it to me for my birthday," Sofia said proudly, her hold relaxing and she turned to look up at her mom. "Mommy, can Zola come play with us to the park mañana?"

"I don't know baby. I'll have to ask Meredith and Derek first, okay?"

"Oh, okay," she accepted but her tone was obviously disappointed by the reply.

"What's ma-mañana?" the brunette asked with a terrible English accent that forced Sofia to hold a chuckle back.

"Tomorrow," replied all the others girls in unison.

"Thanks. Well, I can take them," Amelia provided. "I know both of them are working tomorrow evening. I'm supposed to babysit."

"You don't have to, really."

"I don't mind. Park sounds fun," Amelia shrugged and turned to her niece, "What do you think Zola? In the mood to go out tomorrow?"

"Yes! And we can bring bread to feed the ducks, I know Daddy kept some into the kitchen."

"I'm not sure Bailey will want to this time, though," Sofia said.

"What? Why?"

"Last time we went he kept on aiming at the swans with rocks," Sofia started.

"Mommy told him not to a few times but he wouldn't listen," the other little girl carried on.

"So of course, after a while the swans got fed up and ran after him and he got really scared. He started to cry and then Ellis started to cry too. Dios mio," the Latina child said dramatically, her eyes rolling towards the sky. "It was a real pesallida. It made my ears hurt for like, a week."

"Mommy had to hug them for forever before they stopped and then he got punished for not listening to the rules. He won't go anywhere near the pond since then."

"We'll see how we feel about birds tomorrow then," Arizona said with a laugh. "How about I give you my number so you can text me what time is right for you?"

"Sure," Amelia dug into her pocket and handed her phone to the blonde so she could put her number in.

"It was nice meeting you Amelia, I'll see you tomorrow I guess."

"Likewise Arizona," Amelia grinned big.

"Hasta luego Zola! Bye, Ma'am," Sofia hugged her friend goodbye.

"See you Sofia, bye Arizona."

* * *

When Arizona and Sofia arrived to the park the next day, Zola, Ellis and their aunt were already by the pond. Arizona's eyes wandered around to find Bailey out of habit. He was swinging high up in the sky, his swing going back and forth as fast as he could manage it to go.

"Zola!" Sofia shrieked happily as her friend appeared in her sight.

She let go of her mom's hand and ran towards her, arms wide open and her long hair flying freely behind her. One would think they hadn't seen each other in forever when really, they had seen at school a mere hours earlier. But still, it was cute. The African American turned around at her name, as well as Amelia.

"Sofia!" she replied, just as excited and ran up until they could hug each other. Eventually they let go and Zola dragged her to the water. "Come, my auntie found my daddy's bread stash."

"Hola ma'am, hola Ellis," Sofia smiled sweetly.

"You can call me Amelia, kiddo."

"'Kay. Could we have some bread for the birds please ma'a-Amelia?"

"Of course," the brunette took some more from the bag and handed it to both children.

Arizona eventually walked up to them. "Be careful girls! Don't stand too close to the water."

"Promise Mommy."

"We'll be cautious," Zola said and both girls walked away, hand in hand and giggling.

The pediatric surgeon turned towards the brunette. "Hello Amelia."

"Hi," the brunette grinned just as big.

"How about we find a park bench so we can sit?"

"Sure."

Amelia slowly pushed the stroller until they found a wooden bench not too far from either kids so they could keep an eye on all of them. Bailey seemed to have made a new friend and was now playing over the slides, doing God knew what.

Once sat down, the brunette carefully took Ellis out of her stroller and sat her on her knees instead. As soon as her stuffy was handed to her, she grabbed it and her mouth latched on it vigorously, babbling incoherently.

"So Amelia, which one of Derek's four infamous sisters are you?"

"The family baby actually. Last to be born."

"Not too hard to grow up with that many siblings?" Arizona asked conversationally.

"Lots of laundry. Lots of yelling. Lots of running around. We weren't allowed to play monopoly," she sneered. "One time, Nancy went bankrupt and threw such a huge tantrum that our mom just decided to ban the game from the house for forever," at that, Arizona couldn't help but giggle. "But other than that, I'd like to think we all turned out pretty alright. What about you? Do you have any siblings, Arizona?"

"I had a big brother, Timothy. He-mh, he died when I was in college."

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss."

The pediatric surgeon could tell from the soft tone that the woman next to her wasn't just saying that. "It's alright, you didn't know," she tried to shrug it off, as if it didn't still affected her but knew she wasn't that successful when the brunette gently squeezed her shoulder.

Arizona suddenly got curious at the small glint of understanding onto the brunette's features, like she seemed to all too familiar with grief and wasn't only being empathic.

"So," she cleared her throat. "Are you in Seattle on vacation?"

"No, I'm actually moving here," the cheerfulness in Amelia's voice was back.

"That's great!" she smiled warmly. "Are you from far?"

"Santa Monica. My sister and her friends run a practice down there."

"Santa Monica," Arizona repeated dreamily, picturing miles of sand and the sound of the waves calmly hitting the shore. "It must have been great."

"Yeah, it was," Amelia had this look of regret on her face though, contrasting with her words.

Arizona sensed the distance in between them grew. Something in the other woman's demeanor had changed into the last few seconds, her walls were up and she appeared more tensed. The brunette took a deep breath and Arizona could tell that the small trick decreased her anxiousness.

"I had regular hours. I used to live a ten minutes walk away from the beach. It only rains like, twice a year. Since people aren't used to it, a shitload of drivers finish their days in the ER every time it does."

"May I ask why did you want to leave?"

Amelia debated. There were so many reasons, she honestly didn't know which one had been the final straw. Drugs, Ryan's death, Christopher's death… So much of her dreams and hopes had died in Santa Monica.

"Too much memories, I guess," she settled for, elusively.

Arizona could see that the brunette didn't wish to talk this in more depth so she didn't push. Everyone was allowed to their privacy and she knew firsthand how much inquisitive questions could be harmful, especially when the past was involved. Sometimes, certain things were best left alone.

"I hope you can make tons of new and happy ones here then," she squeezed the brunette's arm and opted to change the subject. "How do you like living with your family so far?"

Amelia was thankful for the lack of Spanish inquisition at her vague answer and the small gesture of support.

"Please. Have you ever met my brother?" Amelia chuckled. "He's insufferable to live with. And my room is right next to theirs. It feels like I'm fifteen again and we're living in our mom's home. All its missing is my sisters fighting loudly in the corridor over something futile like lip gloss or hair brushes."

"I bet your nieces and nephew can help you with that," the blonde joked.

"Oh, they already do," she pointed to her laps. "This one right here kept screaming her lungs out every two hours or so last night. Isn't that right, sweetie?" she cued and Ellis babbled at her with a smile, a hand coming to grab a lock of brunette hair with hungry eyes. "And Zola and Bailey insist to sleep with me most of the time. Which I truly didn't mind at first, until I understood how much children could move at night."

"Yeah, Sofia used to be quite a dynamic sleeper too. Calliope, my ex-wife, and I got our fair share of little kicks and fists hit. She's much calmer now thankfully."

At the mention of an ex-wife, the fact that Sofia looked nothing like her blonde mother made suddenly much more sense.

"I haven't gotten hit yet, so let's knock on wood," she playfully touched the back of the wooden bench.

"You said you used to work in a practice. You must be the doctor sister then?"

"We're all doctor sisters," the brunette giggled. "Nancy an OB/GYN, Kate's a psychiatrist and Lizzie's a physiotherapist."

"What about you?"

"Neurosurgery."

"Of course," Arizona let out a small chuckle. "Your mom must be really proud of having so many doctors in the family."

"You should hear her bragging to her friends from bridge club," she said playfully with a roll of her eyes. "She's lucky she's a very good player otherwise I'm pretty sure they would have kicked her out a long time ago."

"Which one of your sisters did you used to work with?"

"Oh, it's wasn't really- she's not- I worked with Addison Montgomery, she's Derek ex-wife."

"Oh Addison! I know her, I've met her quite a few times over the years. She's an old friend of Calliope. She actually birthed Sofia."

Memories of car accidents and sleepless night onto uncomfortable hospital chairs floated through her mind and she shook her head to chase them away.

"She's the best OB/GYN anyone could ask for. I wasn't close to any of my big sisters since they're a lot older than me. When I was in middle school, they were already off to college, which didn't leave a lot of time for the bratty little sister. But that was when Derek and Addie started dating. She was over a lot and we became really great friends. She was there for me when my sisters or brother weren't or couldn't."

"I get it. Blood doesn't mean everything," her eyes lingered onto her daughter and her heart swelled up in her chest.

She was giggling care freely with Zola, chasing her around with a break stick.

"What about you? Meredith told me you're the pediatric attending at Grey-Sloan Memorial hospital?"

"I am. I've been working here for about… eight years or so? Do you plan on applying there or are you applying at Seattle Presbyterian since you're moving?"

"My contract starts next week at GSMH."

"Well, if you don't know where to sit at lunch, you'll always be welcome at my table," Arizona said sweetly.

"Thanks. It'll be nice to see a friendly face that isn't related to me in some ways. Hey, would you mind watching this one for a little while?" she motioned to baby Ellis. "I can see Bailey eyeing the birds every five seconds. I want to try something with him."

"Of course not. Come here baby girl," the blonde carefully took her under her arms pits and settled her onto her own laps.

"Thank, I'll be right back," the neurosurgeon said as she got up. She grabbed some bread from the stroller.

"Take your time."

Arizona watched her interact with the kids. Her attitude was relaxed and open and the smile gracing her lips couldn't seem to leave. The blonde couldn't deny Amelia was attractive. There was something mysterious about her. Like she had lived more things and seen more darkness into her thirty-something years on this Earth than some people ever would into their whole lives. Before her mind could wander any further, Ellis wailed softly, effectively gaining her attention.

Not really knowing what was happening, she softly felt around her diaper, silently praying that her assumption was wrong. When it turned out to be dry, she let out a small sigh of relief. However, Ellis' cry grew louder and her hands latched onto Arizona's sternum repeatedly. She tried to whisper sweet nothings to her and rock her but the baby seemed focused on patting her chest all over with her hands. Arizona suddenly realized that she was hungry. She hooked her foot under the stroller to pull it closer and searched for a bottle.

"It's okay, baby. I'm trying to find what you want. No need for crying. You're going to tire yourself out with all those tears and snot."

"What happened?" Amelia asked worriedly and took a seat next to the other woman.

She grabbed her niece and started to wiggle her softly in hope to calm her niece down and Arizona kept on fumbling with the stroller.

"I'm pretty sure she's hungry. She kept trying to grab my boobs," she giggled. Her left hand finally settled onto the bottle, "Got it!"

"Sorry," Amelia laughed. "Meredith told me she was still in between bottle and breastfeeding."

Amelia gladly took the milk and offered it to her niece. The blonde's guess turned out to be right, Ellis immediately sucked on the bottle, not a wail to be heard.

"It's quite alright. She isn't the first to play grabby hands when she's hungry," she tickled one of the baby's feet and looked up to the kids. She was surprised to find them all feeding the ducks. "How the hell did you get Bailey to get over there?"

"Well, the trick is to have a four years old logic. See, Bailey got attacked by swans. Didn't matter he was at fault at the time, the only important thing to recall is that swans are enemies. However, ducks are another story. Duck aren't swans, thus they're not enemies and are not scary. So we can feed them bread happily without having to worry," Amelia stated with a childish grin and Arizona couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the god awful explanation.

"This is the silliest thing I've been told in a while."

The brunette shrugged casually. "He isn't scared of all birds anymore, at least. Only swans. Baby steps."


	2. BUBBLY

**CHAPTER 2 - BUBBLY**

"First surgery together and already a big success. You were amazing in there!" Arizona said truthfully, pure thrill showing onto her features.

"You weren't too bad either, Robbins," Amelia replied with a grin equally as big.

"Are you done for the day?"

"Yep! You?"

"Me too. Do you want to go to Joe's and grad a celebratory drink? I know I could use it."

Amelia was happily surprised by Arizona's invitation. Both women had just finished a long surgery together which turned out to be successful but also extremely tiring and were now scrubbing out.

The question felt a little bittersweet for the brunette however. Having a drink. Such a normal thing to do, yet it left her hesitant. She had never been to any bar with the blonde yet, and going to bars with new friends was synonymous to noisy questions she tried to dodge about why she was drinking a fruity cocktail instead of having a beer to relax. She wasn't sure she wanted to talk about her addictions tonight. She was even less sure she wanted Arizona to know this part of her. Somehow, she didn't want the blonde to know this dark side of herself, not yet anyway. She wanted to trust the blonde but they didn't know each other well enough for her to be able to confide in her just yet.

Arizona could sense her reluctance, so she tried to ease her way in. "Or we could always crash at my place. Order some Thai food and watch some mindless TV if you prefer?"

The neurosurgeon appreciated the effort her colleague put in and felt kind of guilty for making her uncomfortable. She decided that, even if it had the potential of turning into an absolute disaster, she could use some crackers and a good game of darts with her.

"I like the way you think Robbins, but I'm afraid it's too late to chicken out now. Afraid I'll beat your ass at darts?"

The pediatric surgeon relaxed, happy to see the brunette's easiness and confidence back.

"You've obviously never seen me play before," she chuckled.

"Why? You're secretly a dart ninja and you're going to kick my ass?" Amelia looped her arm with the blonde's as they walked towards the lockers.

"The opposite. My aim is terrible. But then again, I don't remember playing it sober in a long time. Maybe that's why I'm so bad at it," she scrunched up her nose and shrugged, as if she wasn't sure if alcohol was a factor or if she naturally sucked at it.

"Man, I can't wait to see you play now."

"You're a terrible friend," Arizona giggled nonetheless.

* * *

If the blonde thought Amelia's choice of drink was weird, she didn't show it or make any comment and for that, the neurosurgeon was grateful. Once her first glass finished, the brunette was even more surprised when Arizona ordered her another non-alcoholic drink and thanked her appreciatively.

"Okay, favorite movie?" Arizona asked, nursing her second glass.

While the original plan had been to play darts, the silly game had soon been forgotten. Barely had they taken a sit at the bar, both women had found themselves pulled into deep conversation, completely enticed with each other.

"Okay, but you have to promise not to tell anyone," Amelia gave her a pointed look.

"Cross my heart and hope to die," Arizona said more or less seriously, pretending to zip her mouth shut.

"The hound and the fox."

"The Disney movie?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that very one."

"There's nothing wrong with that. Everyone loves a good Disney. I don't understand all the secrecy."

"Yeah, but not everyone cries their eyes out when they watch it," Amelia cringed at her own admission.

"I'm sorry, but it's actually very cute," Arizona giggled.

"Cute is what you say your kid cries watching it. Me, a thirty five years old grown ass woman, crying big crocodile tears?" she pointed to her own chest and scrunched up her nose. "Not cute. Sad and depressing."

"Oh come on, don't be so harsh on yourself," the pediatric surgeon bumped their shoulders together. "We all have those movies we like to cry in front of like babies. Mine's Brokeback Mountain."

"You're so gay!" Amelia laughed and Arizona quickly joined her.

"What can I say? It's a very good drama though."

"I'll give you that one. I may or may not have cried a river the first time I watched it," she said playfully, watching the blonde laughing quietly. "Okay now my turn, something you love?"

"That's easy. Sofia."

"Nope, you can't say your kid, it's cheating!" Amelia rolled her eyes before softening her features. "Everybody that has ever met your daughter falls in love with her. She's like, the cutest thing."

"Okay, okay. There's this ice cream shop down on Seventh Avenue. We stumbled upon it one day by mistake with Sofia and her friend Kayla. They have a lot of weird, edgy flavors that Sof' swears by. Like spicy aliens which is basically a neon green ice cream that tastes just plain weird and paprika for some reasons that I ignore. But they also have this toffee flavor with nuts and a tad of vanilla and a tiny piece of heaven. I swear, every bite I take, I can hear the angels calling out my name," she said dreamily, a soft content sigh escaping her.

"Do you need some time alone, Robbins?" she asked sarcastically.

"Oh, I'm going to take you there someday and you'll see. It's _that_ good. Your turn now Sheperd. Why do you wear a firework scrub cap? Is it because you're such a firecracker?" the blonde asked teasingly.

The neurosurgeon couldn't help but laugh at the bad joke, feeling her cheeks heat up at the words. "I used to have ligyrophobia when I was little. Forth of July would send me fleeing into a crying mess. One day, I got tired of being scared so with my pocket money and Derek's help, we bought as many firecrackers as we could. We set them off one after another until I wasn't afraid anymore. He offered me that scrub cap when I started my internship, so I'd remember that there's nothing to be afraid of, not even surgery."

"Damn, if that ain't a good story, I don't know what is."

"Yeah, my neighbor didn't think so. He almost pressed charges because of all the noise we made that day," she chuckled, remembering how scared shitless her brother and she had gotten when they had heard him yelling downstairs, arguing with their mom. "Your kids almost gave me a heart attack, Ms. Sheperd, this is utterly unacceptable!" she imitated her old grumpy neighbor poorly.

"Did you guys get grounded?"

"Nope. Our mom was actually really proud that I had vanquished my fear and she made us a chocolate cake to celebrate."

Arizona chuckled. "You mom seems great."

"She is certainly something. Okay, I got one for you Robbins. What do you find ridiculously annoying?"

"Something annoying… Oh, got it. You know when you see a cute dog and you can't pet him?"

"Now that is not only annoying, that is tragic. Every dog deserves to be pet all the time."

"I know. It almost physically hurt to restrain myself from just reaching out to hug them. They deserve so much," her eyebrows furrowed in sadness at the thought of all the pets not being pet right this moment. "Something you're really bad at?"

"I truly suck at origamis," she confessed truthfully.

"Me too. Sofia tried to get me into it so many times but I always end up doing something wrong midway through and the result usually looks sinful."

Amelia giggled at the hint of disenchantment into her friend's tone. "Yeah, Zola's really into it right now and of course Auntie Amelia has to help. But you know what? I think they're just better at it because they have small fingers while we have big sausages instead," she explained pointedly.

About midway through their little game, April Kepner walked in, looking absolutely drained from her shift. They beckoned her over, and soon enough Amelia found herself surrounded with a slightly drunk Arizona and an obviously tired and slightly tipsy redhead. They talked for a while, about nothing and everything but predominantly work, and when the brunette glanced at her father's watch adorning her wrist, her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. It was way later than she had thought and she was supposed to work early tomorrow.

"Well sorry to disappoint girls, but some of us have to work tomorrow so I better head out."

"What? Already?" Arizona asked confused and glanced at the clock. They had been so absorbed into conversation that the time had completely flown by. "Oh, I guess it _is_ rather late after all."

"Do either of you needs a ride home? Robbins? Kepner?"

"It's okay, I'll get her Sheperd," April replied with a warm smile. "I only had one drink."

"'Kay. Make sure she drinks some water and drive safely."

"Night night, Amelia."

"Have a great evening, Sheperd."

* * *

This AA meeting had been a total disaster.

Well, to be honest, the last few days had been a total disaster but this meeting had just been the icing on the cake.

Amelia knew she shouldn't have gone. She had been tired, she had just lost two patients, she had been an emotional wrecking ball all day long, tears threatening to spill over at the smallest inconvenience. A little voice kept screaming into the back of her mind that Oxy was near. So, she had thought it would do her some good to go, perhaps make this dreadful feeling of sadness go away for a few hours. What a fool she had been.

Forty minutes in, she ran out of the room. The tears she had desperately been trying to hold back all day long finally came out of her eyes at an alarming rate and her breath started to turn into a questionable hiccup. Half blinded, she made her way to her car. At least in there, she could have a good session of crying without any stranger staring at her, shielded from the outside world and its judgment.

The tears pricking out of her eyes and her fuzzy mind made it impossible to find her car keys into her purse. Feeling broken beyond repair and now frustrated on top of it, she resigned herself to keep on crying in between her car and the one parked next to hers. The wind was cold against her cheeks and her hair flew everywhere messily but she couldn't care less.

"Sheperd?"

The voice broke her pity party and she looked up out of reflex. Owen Hunt was standing there, looking at her strangely, an emotion she couldn't quite read onto his features.

"Are you okay?"

The redhead almost punched himself right in the guts as the stupid and tactless question left his mouth. No wonder he seemed to repel women like the plague lately with this exceptional subtleness.

He was taken aback however when the neurosurgeon laughed. Full on belly, make your abs hurt laugh. He felt even more perplexed because even though the brunette was now laughing, the trauma surgeon could tell it was empty and the tears appeared to be coming out even quicker than they did a few seconds ago.

"I'M FUCKING PERFECT!" she yelled, her voice hoarse and her arms opened wide to motion around them. "Look at me crying in the middle of a hospital parking lot at eleven PM on a Saturday night. Don't I look like someone who's got their shit together?"

He could feel the sadness and anger coming out of her in powerful waves and he suddenly felt like he had fucked things up even worst than he had initially thought. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Not because he was scared of saying something wrong again but because he felt like nothing he said would ever sooth the obviously great pain Amelia was going through right now. So, when his words failed him, Owen did the next best thing he knew.

"I'm going to hug you."

His hands finally left his pockets and he walked up closer, deliberately slow to leave her plenty of time to pull away if she wanted to. But Amelia didn't move. Instead, her cries grew louder. Amelia didn't want to feel it. To feel the pain, the guilt, the shame, the grief. It was all too much. But that was the tricky things with emotions, they demanded to be felt whether you wanted it or not.

Two strong arms enveloped her in a tight hug protectively. Strong. Steady. Nothing was stopping her anymore and she finally broke down. Her legs almost gave out and the arms around her tightened, pulling her closer against his chest. The brunette buried herself in him, as if she was trying to hide away from her pain, trying to disappear into him and become invisible. The trauma surgeon didn't really know what he was doing so he whispered sweets nothings to her and softly rubbed her back, in hope it would provide the woman some comfort.

Amelia had no idea how long they had been standing here, Owen stoic and impassive, holding her strongly until her tears subsided. She had a pounding headache, her eyes were puffy and hurting, and she felt utterly exhausted. This crying session had drained all the energy that she had left out of her. Her hand flew to the trauma surgeon's chest and she gently pulled away, his arms falling by his sides and he wasn't sure what to do with them suddenly.

"I, uh-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stain your shirt."

"It's okay."

A few uneasy moments passed by, both looking everywhere but at each other. Amelia, too ashamed and Owen, too hesitant.

Hunt scratched the back of his head nervously before asking, "Did you eat?"

The neurosurgeon's eyes trained up from the car window she had been staring at to look at him, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm sorry?"

"Dinner. Have you eaten dinner yet?" he asked again, his tone a weird mix between uncomfortable and caring.

"I-No."

"I know this great Indian place not too far from here."

It was weird, the way they just had both mutually decided to not talk about what had just transpired. To blatantly ignore the big elephant standing in the middle of the room.

"Ar-re you asking me out?" she asked, shocked.

At that, the redhead laughed. "I'm not," he could see her shoulders relax at his reply and smiled kindly. "Your stomach has been screaming famine for the last ten minutes or so and I haven't eaten dinner yet."

Oh. She suddenly felt stupid for feeling angry at him just because she had read the situation wrong. Truth be told, she had been too focused on other things to notice her hungry belly.

"Sorry," she smiled apologetically and shyly. "Indian sounds great."

So, that was how they found themselves into a small restaurant, sharing stories after stories until it was closing up. Amelia and Owen had crossed each other's path at the hospital and even worked on a few cases together already, but they had never hanged out outside of their common workplace. He told her he was of Irish decent, she told him Bohkee was her favorite scrub nurse. Owen told her he used to play soccer when he was younger, to which she replied she had a birthmark that looked like Indiana. It was weird how effortless it felt to share trivia facts like this. For a few hours, they got to pretend that she hadn't been crying like a baby into his arms, and it felt great to forget. She knew it wouldn't last, but it was enjoyable in the moment.

And as they passed the front door to walk out onto the streets, Amelia felt like she had a new friend in the person of Owen Hunt.

"Would you mind driving me back to the hospital please? I left my car there."

"You're going to drive? Have you seen how many times you yawned in there? Because I sure did," he said with a sweet smile and his tone was light.

"You're probably right. I guess I'll sleep it off at the hospital then."

"You can come over. I wouldn't mind," he offered tentatively.

"No, that's okay. You already did more than enough for me tonight."

"Look, you're obviously worn out. We both know hospital beds are crappy. You'll be woken up every ten minutes by people coming in and realizing it's not the supply closet they were looking for. And if we're being real, you're probably going to end up being pulled into a case if anyone sees you, which you know will happen."

Owen wasn't wrong on this one. Moreover, she didn't want anyone, any of their colleagues really, to see her like this, weak and vulnerable. So she found herself agreeing and climbing into the passenger sit. When they arrived at his trailer, Owen turned and saw Amelia already asleep, mouth opened and brows furrowed ever so lightly. He debated waking her up but decided against it so he picked her up bridal style. Opening the front door was a little tricky but he succeeded.

The water running into the sink unfortunately woke her up and Amelia looked around, completely disoriented and slightly scared until her eyes fell onto Hunt's coat thrown over a chair. They had made it back to Owen's then. She rummaged through Owen clothes and grabbed a big tee shirt as well as boxers. She mentally scolded at herself for her habit of foregoing panties and admittedly felt a little weird about borrowing Owen's underwear but there was no way she was sleeping butt naked. She silently prayed that he wouldn't ask any question. The trauma surgeon got out of the bathroom a few moments later, already dressed for the night.

"Oh, hey, you're up," he was visibly surprised to see her awake and, if he thought her sleepwear was weird, he didn't make any comment. "Do you want a spare toothbrush?"

Owen's toothpaste tasted like spearmint, aggressively fresh and his bathroom was small. She pondered how a guy so broad and tall could fit comfortably into his own shower. She spit out the horrible taste out of her mouth and the water made her feel like she had a small pines forest hidden in her mouth. Amelia stood up from the sink and the mirror above it made it impossible for her to miss her reflection. Her eyes weren't too puffy, but they were still bright red and while her headache was still present, it was less powerful. She looked almost as terrible as she felt. She climbed in bed next to him, letting a respectable distance in between them.

The windows above the bed had little curtains but neither of them made a move to close them. The starry sky outside was staring back at them, reassuring and beautiful. Amelia felt small, like she was just a little grey matter trying to find her place into that big universe. The wildlife noises were soothing and her bad thoughts and memories were slipping away slowly, dissipating into thin air as she relaxed into the protectiveness the night provided. She silently prayed her lucky star thank you that she hadn't use tonight. That Owen had stumbled over her.

She turned onto her side and looked at the redhead in question, his eyes were lost into the night.

"Thank you a lot for tonight, Hunt. I really needed that."

He turned to look at her and smiled warmly. "You're welcome. I may not have been crying but I probably needed tonight as much as you to be honest."

The neurosurgeon could tell he was telling her the truth. It showed in his eyes, that hint of raw desolation that couldn't be hidden.

"Will you hold me?" Amelia asked shyly, "Please?" her voice broke at the last word.

A tentative arm was put loosely around her chest, a starring contrast from the strong hold he had pulled her into earlier. It wasn't enough to ground her to reality, though. The neurosurgeon grabbed his arm and gently pulled it around her tighter, until it was squeezing her enough for her brain to stop the anxious whirlwind.

"That okay?" she asked, aware that the situation was unusual and not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

"Of course. Good night, Sheperd."

"G'night."

The very next morning, Arizona waltzed in the neurosurgery wing with two coffees in hands. She looked naturally fresh, her features radiant, her body exuding cheerfulness. Amelia was a little awestruck because the blonde always looked so well put together and smiling and happy while Amelia mostly looked like a mess and broody and depressed. It was a staring contrast and she wondered how they even managed to be friends in the first place.

"Hello stranger," the blonde placed a warm cup of coffee next to her and took a sip out of hers, "You look tired."

Amelia took a big gulp eagerly, like she hadn't already drunk her last three coffees.

"I slept at Owen's. His bed must be the most uncomfortable one I had the displeasure to sleep in yet. Felt like I was lying on the ground. I'm either too old or not drunk enough for this anymore," Amelia deadpanned.

"That is trailer life for you, m'lady," Arizona teased and Amelia shoved her shoulder playfully.

They both missed Derek passing near the other side of the nurses' station, his ears lingering as he slowed down. So his sister did sleep at Owen's. Interesting.

"He promised me a more comfortable bed than the hospital ones. I feel cheated on. And he kept trying to hog the sheets."

"How dare he?" Arizona said jokingly, faking to be appalled.

"You're an asshole," the brunette rolled her eyes.

"Perhaps but I'm an asshole with a very comfy bed that had nine straight hours of uninterrupted sleep with her daughter all cuddled up."

"I'm not even talking to you anymore. You're the worst friend I've ever had."

* * *

The neurosurgeon walked into the locker's room and was immediately alerted when she saw Arizona Robbins sitting on the bench, crying and softly shaking. The door closing loudly alerted the blonde that someone had just entered the room and Amelia silently cursed herself for not being more delicate.

Arizona's head perked up, her reddened and tear-filled eyes falling onto Amelia, standing awkwardly in front of her. She quickly wiped her tears away and forced the lump down her throat, trying her best to hide away her small meltdown.

"Oh, I- uh, sorry. I didn't mean to disturb," Amelia said softly, not knowing what do with herself, her hands fumbling anxiously with her sleeves. "Do-do you need a moment alone?"

"I- no, it's fine. I'm fine."

"Yeah, because you look anything but," Amelia deadpanned sarcastically. "Tough day?" she sat next to the blonde on the bench, letting a polite distance in between them and setting her hand down in the middle.

"Tough year," Arizona laughed humorlessly, and her eyes started to water again.

She looked up at the ceiling, trying to conceal the tears that threatened to spill onto her cheeks away. She really didn't need for her new friend that she barely knew to see her like this. It felt humiliating to have her walk in on her.

"Yeah, I had a few of those too."

Her tone was honest and she suddenly seemed older than she was, wiser. Arizona could tell that whatever the neurosurgeon was putting under the word tough, it had affected her greatly.

"How did you deal with it?" she stared at the other woman, her eyes settling into hers.

The brunette was awestruck by her new friend's eyes for a few moments, the vibrant blue color coming out full force. She tried to think of the right answer for a while. How did she deal with it? Drugs, booze, running away, sleeping with inappropriate people… So many bad choices that she didn't want to admit at loud. That she didn't dare voice out loud to Arizona.

Except it wasn't really that way she had dealt with it, was it? It had been her way to not deal with it. She thought about Ryan, about her days in rehab, about Christopher, about the warm hugs her friends had offered her despite all the horrible and venom-filled stuff she had yelled at them… So, she tried to answer as truthfully as she could.

"Family, friends, neurosurgery…" she softly squeezed the blonde's shoulder tentatively in hope to bring her some comfort. "I know we're not very close, but I'm always here if you need someone to vent to or simply a shoulder to cry on."

"Thanks," Arizona gave her a shy little smile.

"Anytime," Amelia said honestly with a warm smile. "I would consider taking two Advil though otherwise you're going to get one hell of a headache, Robbins."


	3. BIG GIRLS CRY

**CHAPTER 3 – BIG GIRLS CRY**

Amelia was happy to see the doors' elevator opening to reveal none other than Arizona Robbins. They had barely seen each other over these last few days and she was kind of missing the other woman's presence. Their effortless teasing banter, her cheerful attitude and relaxing behavior… Amelia could definitely see her and she becoming great friends in a near future. The neurosurgeon was in dear of some. She simply couldn't hang out with her brother and his wife all the time and while she loved her nephew and nieces to pieces, she needed friends. Real adult friends who could speak in full sentences. People she could listen to, share life experiences with and laugh with. And that was exactly how Arizona and Owen made her feel. She smiled at Arizona and the pediatric surgeon smiled right back, just as warmly.

"Hello stranger," she greeted playfully and waltzed in, pushing the button.

"Hello. Long time no see."

"Don't I know it," Amelia whined. "I think our respective redheads are taking us too much time away from each other," she pouted playfully and Arizona couldn't help but laugh. "Really though. I missed hanging out with you and that little munchkin of yours. She's a cool chick."

"All me," she joked with a giggle. "She's been asking about you all the time by the way. You should stop by day care and say hi."

"Wouldn't it be weird?" Amelia asked with a frown. "I mean, I'd love to. But I don't want to cause any trouble."

"She likes spending time with you, who am I to say no to her?" the other woman shrugged.

"Her mom?" she recalled with a laugh.

"Yeah… Well, you try saying no to her beautiful big black eyes and pouty face."

Amelia chuckled. She had already been onto the receiving end of this adorable sulking face and she had to admit, it was really convincing. She bumped her shoulder lightly with Arizona's. "Do you have her this week or is she at Callie's?"

"Callie's."

"So you're free tonight, right?"

"I know Sofia's not there, but I still have a social life, you know?"

"Please, your social life is April and she's working tonight."

Arizona's face scrunched up with slight irritation. "Hey, I have other…" she paused and realized Amelia was probably right.

Her social life resumed to people from work, her ex-wife and her kid. For a second, she thought about her few one night stands but she couldn't really consider them her friends. That would imply they had shared things other than a few hours of intimacy and moans, which they often did not.

"Fine," Arizona huffed in annoyance. "What did you have in mind?"

"Weeeeeeeeell, Derek has plenty of Disney movies and great wine," Amelia suggested.

The blonde chuckled. "You sure know the way to a woman's heart."

"I know, right?" she said with a playful look. "It's a wonder why I'm single," she wiggled her eyebrows, earning a giggle from Arizona. The elevator finally arrived at the neurology wing and the brunette walked out. "See you tonight, loser!"

"I DIDN'T SAY YES!" Arizona yelled out as the neurosurgeon walked further away, seeing only her back.

"YOU DIDN'T SAY NO! EIGHT PM!" was yelled back to her without the brunette turning around and Arizona didn't need to see her face to know the smug look Amelia was sporting right now.

* * *

"Do you want a refill?"

Arizona raised one eyebrow, "I see how it is. Trying to get me drunk won't make it any easier to get into my pants, Dr Sheperd," she whisper-teased back as she handed the brunette her empty glass anyway.

"You wish, Robbins," the neurosurgeon snorted and got up. "Want some more Mer?" she asked to her sister-in-law.

Meredith was sitting onto the opposite end of the couch, Zola tucked under one of her arm and hugging Bailey with her other one.

"I'm good, thanks," the general surgeon replied kindly.

"Kids?"

Bailey looked up at her and shook his head while Zola replied no with her eyes glued to the TV screen. Merely two minutes later, the woman was back from the kitchen and Arizona had a new glass of wine into her hand.

"Okay, can we admit that Pocahontas is totally high? Paint with all of the colors of the wind? She wild."

"Yeah, cause a talking rabbit with a clock and a pumpkin transforming into a carriage are such common occurrences," Arizona deadpanned.

Amelia seemed to think about it for a while, her eyebrows frowning deep. "Can't say you're wrong here."

As the movie progressed, Bailey moved over to his auntie's laps and lay against her front comfortably. The pediatric surgeon spied with her little eyes the slow loving caresses Amelia did on his back or the occasional kisses she dropped onto his forehead. She looked so at peace at this very moment, the simple fact of observing them made Arizona feel like she was intruding though so her eyes strolled back to the TV before the brunette could catch her.

About two third through the movie, Meredith moved to straighten her legs and quickly looked around the room. Everyone was fast asleep, kids or adults. There was no way she was going to keep on watching a disney movie if she was alone.

"Wasn't that a blast," the general surgeon said, looking around at all the sleeping corpses slumped onto her couch.

She took Zola up to her room and put her in her bed carefully without too many difficulties. Her daughter didn't even stir as her mother placed the sheets protectively on her and kissed her forehead. While upstairs, she quickly checked on Ellis only to find her still asleep into her bed, her diaper dry. She walked back down as quietly as she could and gently shook the two adults awake.

Amelia's arms instinctively wrapped tighter around her nephew as she woke up. "Uh, did I fall asleep? Is the movie over?"

"What time is it?" Arizona asked at the same time.

"You _all_ fell asleep. I'm not watching Pocahontas on my own," Meredith glanced at her son. His mouth was hanging wide open, drooling shamelessly all over his auntie's neck. "Figured you'd be more comfortable in a bed than on the couch."

"Thanks. Go to sleep, I'll put him to bed Mer."

Beside her, Arizona groaned slightly as she stretched out. That couch certainly wasn't good for her lower back, she could feel her tensed muscles aching for a more comfortable position.

"M'alright," the dirty blonde kissed her son's forehead. "Good night to you two," she said two both women and went up noiselessly, not needing to be told twice.

"G'night."

"Good night, Grey."

"I know it's not that late but you're more than welcome to stay here if you're too tired to drive," Amelia offered and got up, an arm holding Bailey's little butt and the other against his back so he wouldn't fall. "Plus, you had a few drinks. I don't think it'd wise to take the wheel."

Arizona raised an eyebrow and flirted, "Can't get enough of me, Sheperd?"

Amelia chuckled quietly to not wake Bailey up. "Never," she replied as playfully.

"You sure you don't mind, though?"

"Of course not," Amelia shook her head. "You can sleep in my room. Help yourself in the drawers. Meet you there in five? I'm going to put this little dude to bed."

The pediatric surgeon's interest peeked at the _my room_. "I'm fine with the guest room. I've slept in there plenty of time."

"Oh, you're cute," Amelia cued and Arizona could tell she was mocking her. "Der has three kids and his sister came crashing three weeks ago. You do the math and tell me who sleeps in the guest room."

"Right, your room it is then," she finally got up with a groan.

"Unless you're afraid you won't be able to keep your hands to yourself," Amelia joked.

Arizona rolled her eyes. "Please, you're the one with no filter whatsoever."

"It's not as bad as it used to be."

"It used to be _worst_?" she teased.

Amelia bumped her shoulder with hers and she scolded her good-naturedly, "Oh fuck you. Go put some pajamas on and go to bed Robbins."

"Only because you asked so nicely, sweetie pie," Arizona replied ever so tenderly ironically.

The brunette took Bailey to his bed and tucked him in. Meanwhile Arizona took in her friend's room since she had never seen what Amelia's place looked like. Granted, it was Derek's and Meredith guest room, but it was Amelia's personal space for now. The room was pretty tidy which lead her to think Amelia was a creature of structure and liked her things to be where they belonged. A chip was sitting onto her nightstand, shining lightly under the light. A few toys were laying around but with three kids, the house was bounded to have them everywhere. She opened the chest of drawers and searched for pajamas. When she found none, she settled onto a t-shirt and what seemed to be sweatpants. She sat onto the edge of the bed to take her prosthetic off and almost moaned at the mattress' softness. Her prosthetic calf propped underneath the bed in case she needed it, she eventually allowed her body to sink further into the inviting bed.

Teeth cleaned, Amelia turned off the bathroom light and headed to her bedroom. Arizona was already asleep under the covers, her mouth slightly opened, and the lights still on. Giggling, the neurosurgeon took her phone and snapped a picture of her friend. She shed her clothes of the day and since she didn't want to traumatize one of the only friends she had here in Seattle, she put on a t-shirt and some panties before sliding under the covers and turning the lights off.

Arizona woke up the next morning a little lost. Her pillow smelled weird. Good and familiar but she couldn't quite place it. Sleepily, she poked one eye open and glanced at the unfamiliar room, trying to figure out where she was. The chip onto the nightstand told her exactly where she was. Amelia. So that was why she knew that smell. Her two blues eyes opened and she yawned loudly. The neurosurgeon was nowhere to be found though. She sat up and took her time, straightening every one of her limbs as well as her back and neck. She was grabbing her prosthetic to put it on when she saw a piece of paper onto the nightstand along some Advil.

_Got paged this morning, didn't wake you up cause I knew you were off today, so it seemed pretty cruel to kick you out just so you could go back to sleeping at your house. Der's home, so maybe don't make too much noise? He's a real Grinch if you wake him up, believe me. There should be some breakfast left if you want some. Advil should help the hangover. See you later_

_Amelia_

Arizona must have been dead tired to not be awaken by a pager beeping. Since Sofia's birth, she had become a light sleeper. She was touched that her friend thought about medication in case she was feeling soso because of last night drinking but since she was just feeling tired, she left it onto the table.

Since Derek was sleeping, she decided to head home to shower and watch some mindless TV while sorting the clothes out of her dryer. She had been working a lot lately and it was starting to pile up. The pediatric surgeon was in the middle of sorting a sea of socks out when her phone rang. It was Amelia video-calling.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty. Feeling any better?" Amelia greeted her enthusiastically.

The pediatric surgeon recognized the cafeteria behind her and could hear some white noises filling the big room.

"Cinderella would be more adequate, I've been doing housework for what feels like forever," she angled the camera to show off the big pile of clothes still waiting for her. "And to answer, yes, your bed is incredibly comfortable. Felt like a warm cloud of softness. Thanks for letting me crash."

Amelia chuckled. "You were clearly tired, you fell asleep in record time. Kinda sucks by the way," she pouted, her bottom lip sticking out. "Had to call off the super-duper awesome slumber party I had planned for us."

"Damn!" Arizona laughed. "You mean it's too late to paint each other's toenails Barbie-pink while gossiping about the hospital's ridiculously hot doctors and blush like schoolgirls at any mention of S-E-X?"

"You forgot the junk food abuse, but yeah, pretty much," the other woman smiled.

Arizona shook her head. "I'll take a rain check on that. How did your surgery go this morning?"

"Tremendously well, as they always do," she said proudly. "You should have seen that tumor. It was growing all around the spine, squeezing it tight. It's a miracle that woman was even able to walk. It must have been growing for years! That thing was a beauty. It was benign but it was a real pain in my ass to cut off."

Even with the bad feedback, Arizona could see the passion animating Amelia's eyes. She radiated excitement and love whenever she talked about neurosurgery, it was captivating. The blonde couldn't picture her doing anything else. Brains were the other woman's life. Her purpose. They were the reason she got up every morning and the reason she could stay up all night. Her eyes would glow as she stared for countless hours at the same scans, trying to come up with the better approach possible. She was in love with her job.

Meanwhile, Amelia was kind of frozen too, too busy staring at Arizona to realize they had both zoned out. She looked pretty like this: her face bare of any make up, her still damp honey blonde hair pulled into a messy ponytail, a soft grin on her lips…

Amelia was kind of conflicted towards the slight pinch she was feeling towards Arizona. Sure, she had found plenty of women attractive before, that much wasn't new. But she had never been friends with them. She had female friends who were pretty but she wasn't _attracted_ to them. She didn't playfully flirted with them back and forth like she did with Arizona.

But she wondered if it was because Arizona was the first lesbian friend she ever had. Maybe it was normal? The blonde didn't seem to think anything out of their easy and playful banter. She sure didn't tease Owen like this. Was friendship between queer people always like this? She felt like a bottle lost at sea, drifting away into a big ocean of questions and unspoken feelings. Why did she have to over-think everything so much?

A tray crashing loudly next to her sorted both of them out of their oblivious staring contest.

"Hey, who you talkin' to Sheperd?" Karev motioned to the phone with his head and dumped a handful of fries into his mouth.

Amelia looked at him disgusted, he had ketchup all around his mouth and he was chewing loudly. "Robbins," she replied. "Gosh, how does Wilson put up with you?" she muttered to herself more quietly and turned the phone so Arizona could see the both of them.

"Hi Alex," she waved at him and he nodded in acknowledgment.

"I operated on Matthew Crain today. Darn kid almost bled out on the table, his body was refusing to clot."

"Were you able to stop it?" she asked with worry and concern, her eyebrows knitting together.

"Yeah but we had to pass 3 whole units of red blood cells."

"Fuck."

"Exactly. But he seems relatively stable for now. We'll do a complete blood work later and the nurses should start heparins tonight. Oh, and Clarrissa Geller? Twelve years old, into animes, swears like a sailor when her parents aren't there?"

Arizona nodded, indicating she knew who he was talking about.

"She finally received that wig you guys ordered a few days ago, you should stop by and say hi."

Amelia looked at them with a frown.

"She has pancreatic cancer and chemo made her lost almost all of her hair," Arizona explained quickly to her friend. "Did she go for blonde or redhead?"

"Look Alex, I'm a fucking blonde now! That shit is so cool!" Alex Karev replied with a high pitch voice, trying his best to imitate their patient.

Arizona and Amelia giggled. "I'll make sure to go and see her."

"You'd make a fine twelve years old girl, Karev," Amelia joked.

"Fuck off Sheperd," Alex said lightheartedly and bumped his shoulder against hers.

"Are you sure you're allowed to swear like this, young lady?" the neurosurgeon taunted.

Arizona chuckled and Karev simply rolled his eyes, putting more fries into his mouth. "God, between you and her, I don't know who's worst."

* * *

"Sorry, I'm late," Amelia apologized as she entered the blonde's house.

She quickly discarded her shoes and coat and let out a deep breath as she relaxed.

"It's more than alright, Sheperd," Arizona said casually. "You're barely fifteen minutes late. I hope you didn't break any speed limits, I would hate to be the reason you get a ticket."

"I think you'll be alright then. I rarely speed up over the limit anyway."

"Good. Well, get in, make yourself at home," the pediatric surgeon motioned to her open space with her arm and an inviting grin. "What can I get you to drink?"

Amelia liked the way Arizona never questioned her choice of drink. She just accepted the fact that Amelia didn't seem to drink any alcohol. It made Amelia feel _normal_. The brunette was used to the weird looks, the questions, the insistence, the "come on, you're off tomorrow!". But Arizona didn't do any of that, which made her neurosurgeon feel respected and she was very thankful for her friend's consideration. Whether she was restraining herself to ask or simply didn't care, Amelia was grateful either way.

Like tonight for example. They both had the night off and Arizona had invited her over to watch some mindless TV and eat some Chinese food right out of the containers. She asked what she wished to drink, suggesting wine but telling her she also had plenty of juice if she'd prefer. When the pediatric surgeon came back from the kitchen to join her colleague onto the couch, Amelia was surprised to find her apple juice into a wine glass and offered a questioningly look to the other woman.

"That way you can feel fancy too," Arizona explained with a wink and sat down.

The neurosurgeon let out a giggle. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Some food network was playing into the background, both women paid it no mind though. They had watched the first ten minutes, if even that, before being pulled into deep conversation.

"No way! You went to Hopkins too?" Amelia asked, her eyebrows raised.

"I did."

"So weird that I never saw you around."

"You're younger than me and it is a pretty big teaching hospital so it's not that weird."

"Can you imagine, though? It would have been neat. Well maybe not," Amelia frowned as a few memories came back to her mind. "I was kind of train wreck back then."

"I have a hard time picturing you. You seem so sure about everything you do, so effortlessly poised," Arizona took a sip of wine. "And you're smart. Scratch that, I think Derek is smart but I think you're brilliant. I've seen you into the OR. You're quick, efficient, confident. And honestly a little smug about it, but it's part of what makes you charming I guess," Arizona said cheekily, a sly smile on her lips.

"You think I'm charming?" Amelia asked coyly and wiggled her eyebrows.

"I also said smug," Arizona pointed out and chuckled.

A few moments passed in silence and the blonde could hear the gears turning into the other woman's brain. Her gaze was focused onto the couch cushions, her fingers worrying the lose thread of one of the pillows nervously. Arizona didn't dare speak up, too afraid to break Amelia's deep train of thoughts.

"It took me a long time, you know?" Amelia eventually said and looked up at her, her eyes finding the blonde's vibrant ones and her fingers stilling around the thread. "To arrive to the version of who I am today. To be okay with it. To appreciate it. My surname used to be Hurricane Amelia for good reasons. I did a lot of things I'm not proud of when I was younger, but it made me who I am today. I may not like my past, but it definitely made me grow up."

Arizona had no idea what Amelia meant by that, it was merely a vague statement that left her with hundreds of possibilities to explore. However she could hear the openness in her voice, the hint of vulnerability and shame Amelia was trying so desperately to hide. The neurosurgeon suddenly seemed way older than she actually was for a few moments, wiser and more mature.

The words resonated in the blonde's mind. In this very moment, Amelia reminded her a lot of herself.

Arizona's hand covered hers and squeezed them softly. "For what it's worth, I like present-Amelia a lot," she said with a shy smile, hoping to bring some comfort to the neurosurgeon. "You're still a dork most of the time, though," she joked lightheartedly to lighten the mood and Amelia giggled, bumping their shoulders together playfully.

"Fuck off," she chastised, obviously not mad if her bemused grin was anything to go by. Her hand picked at the pillow again. "I was late tonight because I was at a meeting," the words rolled out of her tongue before she could really think about them, before she could over think too much about what or why she was saying it out loud.

"A meeting?" Arizona frowned, her voice warm and nonjudgmental.

Amelia could feel her heart thumping hard into her chest and the blood whooshed by her eardrums. Her lungs suddenly felt wrong, like someone had just knocked out the air out of them forcefully and she was almost nauseous into the pit of her stomach. Yet, the look onto the other woman's face, the thoughtfulness and somehow maternal kindness made her feel like she could confide the ugliest parts of herself to Arizona and she would still be there. She would be safe. So she carried on.

"AA," she tried to keep her tone flat, tried to chase the guilt and the mortified feeling that were overpowering her statement. "I try to go at least once a week."

The neurosurgeon didn't know why she felt like this. Maybe it was because Arizona was the first person she was telling it to out loud and that hadn't known her as a junkie. Maybe because she was kind of scared that it would change the friendship they had build in the little time she had been living in Seattle.

"I'm a recovering alcoholic. Also recovering drug addict. Almost two years sober," as easy going as she tried to be with her fingers crossed and false façade of confidence, it didn't come across.

The blonde could spot how uneasy the brunette truly was, and she could tell it took a lot for Amelia to tell her about this damaged part of herself. She felt honored that she trusted her enough to share. She suddenly remembered the chip she had seen Amelia playing with plenty of time, only now linking it to Amelia's confession. So she politely decided to let it slide, pretended that she didn't sense her apprehension.

Instead, she put on her most cheerful face and said supportively, "Well, congrats to you! Go Team Sober Amelia! Keep on kicking your addictions' asses," she offered her friend a high five and the neurosurgeon almost cried in happiness.

The pediatric surgeon was the first to react so positively to her addictions. People usually got weird with her after and they became distant, looking at her with pity in their eyes or repulsion, like she was less of her. Or like she was going to be break the moment things got hard. Like her brother did. Over protecting her and trying to fight her battles like she wasn't strong enough to handle them on her own. As if she wasn't strong enough to handle the whole human emotional spectrum without using when she was reaching the sad and despair part of it.

Sure, it wasn't easy. The crave was here, haunting her days after days, always with her lurking into the back of her mind. Every day, she willed herself to be stronger, to deny her brain's request for one more shot, for one more prescription drug, for one more high. And every chip she received felt like a small milestone. A small victory into this hard thing called life. It was sometimes hard to feel proud of herself for earning a new token when the only people in Seattle knowing about her addictions was her brother and his wife and they didn't really show any interest in her recovery. So, here she was, totally blown away by Arizona's reaction, who was looking at her the exact same way she did ten minutes ago.

The brunette forced the tears back in and the lump in her throat to go away. She quickly high fived Arizona's hand before it could get awkward and then pulled her in a tight hug. Arizona was surprised at first but embraced her back just as tight and when they eventually let go of each other, both were beaming.

"You, my friend, are something else," Amelia said as she took her sit back onto the couch, melting into it.

"I'm pretty exceptional," Arizona smirked and shrugged casually, happy to hear the other woman laugh.

* * *

"Uh?" Amelia looked around, a little lost.

"You were going to fall asleep," Arizona informed her as she placed a hand on the neurosurgeon's shoulder to keep her awake.

"Well, I guess I should head back to the house before it gets any later," Amelia yawned loudly and stretched her limbs, trying to shake her body awake.

Arizona's couch was way too much comfortable she decided and she got up in order to stretch her legs better.

"So you can fall asleep behind the wheel? I'd rather you crash here."

"Nah, I don't want to bother y-" she was interrupted by yet another yawn and put her hand in front of her mouth.

"Please, you're hardly a bother. I know you just pulled a long shift and you still agreed to come over to keep me company. You're more than welcome to stay if you want to."

"Mm-okay, but only because you insisted," she conceded fairly easily, she was feeling too tired to drive herself back to her brother's, there was no arguing about that.

The pediatric surgeon turned the TV off and got up with a small groan. "Come on, let's find you something to sleep in."

They both ventured to Arizona's room and the blonde rummaged through her drawers to find some appropriate sleepwear for her friend.

"Here," she handed a big tee-shirt and some legging to the brunette.

"Thanks, Robbins."

"I'm going to brush my teeth. I'll get your spare toothbrush out on the sink. You remember where the guest room is?"

"Of course."

Weirdly enough, the fact that she had a spare toothbrush made Seattle feel a little more like home. The spares Owen and Arizona kept for her made her feel welcome into their houses/ trailers, as stupid as it sounded. She quickly changed out of her day clothes and joined the pediatric surgeon into the bathroom. Arizona had already taken off her makeup and was now brushing her teeth, white minty toothpaste smeared all over her mouth. Amelia grabbed her own toothbrush and applied some of Sofia's strawberry toothpaste on it before sticking it in her mouth.

"Good night," the pediatric surgeon said warmly after she had finished her night routine.

"Night!" the brunette replied with a mouthful, and the toothpaste-filled smile she offered the blonde made Arizona chuckled.

The neurosurgeon was making her way back to the guest room, her bare feet walking down the cold wooden floor of the corridor, when she heard a hiss coming from Arizona's room. Slightly worried, she took a few steps back and since the door was opened, she knocked onto the doorframe.

"You alright in here, Robbins?" her concern was evident in her voice and she walked in, taking a sit at the foot of the bed.

Only then she realized that Arizona had no pajamas pants on. Her panties, leg and limb were out for the world to see. The few times Arizona had slept over at Derek's with her, Amelia would notice the lack of prosthetic under the sweatpants the other woman always used to sleep in and when she stayed over at Arizona's, she always slept into the guest room, so she had never been face to face with her actual limb. Never seen it in the flesh.

There was a difference between knowing and _knowing_. She was a doctor though, she had seen plenty of residual limbs before and staring felt inappropriate and an intrusion of Arizona's privacy so Amelia advertized her eyes, looking at the blonde's face instead.

The blonde winced lightly as her fingers dug near her scar to massage her skin, her features contorting into a small grimace as she did so. "Yes. It's just my prosthetic. I usually don't keep it on for that long so it was getting a little disagreeable. Skin got tender on that spot."

"Why did you keep it on tonight then?"

"You're here," she admitted, looking somewhat embarrassed and a blush came up to color her cheeks.

A piece of Amelia's heart broke at the statement and she felt incredibly embarrassed that she had made Arizona feel inadequate under her own roof.

"I'm sorry I made you feel like you couldn't take it off. You know I wouldn't mind, right?" she took Arizona's hand into hers and squeezed it gently. "It wouldn't make me think any less of you or make me uncomfortable if that's what you're worried about. You'll still be my friend, Arizona Robbins, bad ass peds surgeon."

The small banter eased Arizona's mind and she felt a bit less self-conscious about it. It was weird how her uneasiness was almost nonexistent with one night stands, not thinking or caring about it at all, yet it lingered when she was with her friends. She felt like her emotions weren't working right.

"I-thanks," the blonde squeezed her hand back before letting it go.

"You're still a tiny bit less bad ass than me though," she smirked teasingly.

Arizona grabbed a pillow from behind her and hit Amelia in the face with it, a chuckle escaping her throat. The brunette barely had time to protect herself with her forearms.

"Fuck, this is getting violent. I'm going away before you find another weapon," she got up and yawned.

"Good night Sheperd,"

"G'night Blondie."


	4. FEELS

**CHAPTER 4 - FEELS**

Arizona was sitting into the attendings' break room, finally enjoying her first cup of coffee since her shift had started over five hours ago. Barely had she drunk her second gulp though, the door opened and revealed her new brunette friend.

"Hello Amelia," she smiled happily.

"Hey," Amelia greeted her back tiredly but with a genuine smile nonetheless.

She let herself ungracefully fall onto the other end of the couch with an exhausted sigh, her eyes closing on their own accords as her body melted into the not-so-comfortable couch, her muscles finally relaxing for the first time in what felt like forever. Arizona could see bags starting to materialize under her colleague's eyes and her whole body exuded fatigue.

"You look like you could use a cup of coffee. Or twelve," the pediatric surgeon teased.

"Insomnia. I only slept like, two hours last night and three the night before so I'm a little out of it," Amelia provided without any further information, her eyes opening and she tilted her head to look at the pediatric surgeon.

Arizona could sense her pain though. The hint of sadness in her voice, the way her shoulders caved in ever so slightly, her eyes losing their usual glint for a few instant for something else entirely that the blonde couldn't quite identified yet felt oddly familiar.

"Yeah, I get those too from time to time," the blonde affirmed truthfully, hoping to help her friend feel more at ease, make her feel less alone.

"Any advice?"

Arizona didn't have any, really. The few times she suffered insomnia were because of nightmares or high anxiety and she still hadn't quite figured out how to go back to sleep easily and peacefully. She honestly doubted she ever would. She shrugged and, instead of replying, offered her warm cup to Amelia.

She accepted, eager to get some much needed caffeine into her system. She almost spit it right back out though as the taste invaded her mouth.

"God! I finally get why you're so sweet. How many sugar did you put in this?" she handed the other woman her coffee back with a grimace.

"I don't know," Arizona looked guiltily.

Amelia raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a firm, do-not-tempt-me look.

"Five?" the blonde eventually replied, wincing at her confession.

"No wonder it tastes so weird. That's enough sugar to send a diabetic straight to the morgue."

"That was… dark."

"You know what I like dark? My coffee," Amelia whined and let her head fell backwards onto the back of the couch, her eyes fluttering shut.

"Then go get one and stop complaining," Arizona chuckled.

"But I'm too tired."

"Are you always this whiny?" Arizona asked lightheartedly with an eyebrow up.

She wasn't very familiar with this side of Amelia yet and was quite entertained by the child-like behavior the other woman was displaying.

After a few moments of silence, the neurosurgeon talked, "So my nephew and niece asked to go camping this week end. Which I have absolutely zero skills in but was okay with because my brother was supposed to be coming too. But then he gets this patient with this big ass tumor right in his frontal lobe. And of course, he has to operate him on Saturday morning. So he can't come camping with us anymore and the kids are upset and refuse to cancel. Zola and Bailey are good at begging and making heart eyes. Like, _very_ good. And who am I to say no to them? I'm supposed to be cool auntie Amelia. Except, like I said, I suck at camping. But then I had this thought."

"Now, this is getting a little scary," Arizona teased playfully.

Amelia tried to hit her without opening her eyes and ended up lightly touching her arm. "Oh, fuck off," she tried to sound offended but the giggle escaping her made it rather unsuccessful. "Anyway as I was saying, I had this thought," she looked at her friend pointedly this time before keeping on, "Arizona and her brother used to go camping all the time with their dad when they were kids. She must be good at it, right? Plus Sofia could come. You should totally invite them. So I guess what I'm asking is: are you available?" the brunette asked with a sweet smile.

"While I do have the skills, I'm afraid I hate camping," she said with an apologetic face and took another sip.

"Oh, come on. Meredith is working all week end and I promised Derek I would take care of the kids. You can't let me go to the woods by myself with three kids, you'd have to be mental," she said firmly.

The blonde chuckled and pointed out, "Yet, you told your brother you would."

"Please?" Amelia pouted, her lower lip sticking out and her deep blue eyes reminded Arizona of the night sky for a few moments.

"What do I get out of it?" Arizona asked carefully and squinted her eyes.

"A pretty awesome weekend with your new best friend, duh."

The pediatric surgeon raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her so Amelia tried a new strategy.

"Pretty please? I promise no sandwiches and the kids will have a great time?"

"Fiiiiiine," Arizona conceded with a huff.

Amelia flung herself up unexpectedly to hug Arizona. The blonde was taken aback for a few moments and almost dropped her coffee but after the initial surprise, she reciprocated the embrace. Before Amelia could stop herself, she took a deep breath in, the smell of disinfectant and faint flowers tingling her nose. She was about to bury her head further into the crook of her friend's neck when she realized what she was about to do and gently pulled away. Arizona had a beaming grin on her face that she reciprocated without thinking.

"Thanks, you're the best," the neurosurgeon kissed her cheek and slumped back onto the couch. Barely had her head touched the arm was her pager beeping loudly. She got up with a huff as she read her page but her smile re-appeared when she looked down at the blonde. "I'll pick you girls up at nine-ish on Saturday's morning?"

"Okay. Do I need to bring anything?"

"Nah. Just your pretty selves," Amelia winked playfully at her with a smirk and walked out of the room.

* * *

The neurosurgeon didn't think she had ever witnessed Zola and Bailey being in such good moods mere minutes after being woken up.

Yesterday evening, they had been impossible to put to bed, way too excited about the little trip planned the very next day. Eventually Derek, the kids and her had all ended up into the parental bed. Admittedly, the bed plus two kids had been a little tricky but they had managed to make it work. After doing about everything they could think off to calm the children's excitement down enough so they could fall asleep, Derek and Amelia followed them almost instantly from exhaustion, lights still on and children's books littering the bedroom.

Needless to say, Meredith had been quite surprised when she got home into the wee hours of the morning. She had snapped a picture of her family and once into her pajamas, she had headed straight to her daughter's bed for a good night of rest.

When Amelia's phone rang the next morning to signal them it was time to wake up, it wasn't without a grunt that the brunette opened her eyes. She rubbed her still sleepy eyes and blindly turned off the device. Looking around, she winced. The bedroom was a mess. She quickly cleaned it up and had the surprise to discover her sister-in-law sleeping into Zola's bed. She then woke Zola and Bailey up so they could get ready while she was taking care of Ellis. She figured her brother must have been dead tired because the kids were far from discreet as they made their way out of the room and Derek didn't even stir a muscle.

"Okay, so you guys go get dress while I get Ellis. We're meeting downstairs in ten so we can share a big breakfast of champions before hitting the road," she whisper-instructed to them. "Zola, be careful, mommy's sleeping in your room."

Both kids nodded, huge smile plastered onto their lips and they scattered off, their little feet hitting the floor loudly. Amelia rolled her eyes as she headed to Ellis' bedroom, so much for trying to be discreet.

"Hello baby girl," she cued.

Ellis appeared to be wide awake, entertaining herself with nonsense babbling and grabbing her feet to put them into her mouth. The neurosurgeon gently took her out of her crib and cradled her into her arms, feeling her diaper.

"Wow, you have a lot to say this morning, don't you?" she wiped the drool of her niece's face and dropped a kiss onto her forehead. "Let's get you all clean and dry, princess."

The brunette quickly changed the used diaper and got her ready for the day, pinching her pacifier to her onesie. That she did not wish to lose into the woods. She was thankful that her brother and her had gotten all of the needed stuff ready and packed yesterday. Fingerfood, tents, clothes, sleeping bags, card games, blankets, flashlights… All of it was already sitting patiently into the trunk, simply awaiting to be taken out.

* * *

"Auntie Amelia, honk!" Bailey said excitably as she came to a halt in front of Arizona's house, parking next to the blonde's car.

"Yeah, honk!" Zola exclaimed, agreeing with her brother, which was becoming unusual nowadays.

She giggled at their over excited attitudes and turned off the vehicle before turning around to look at them in the backseat.

"Sorry guys, but your sister's sleeping. I'm not crazy enough to wake her up with a scary loud noise. Why don't you guys go ahead and knock instead? We'll be right behind you."

The two children catapulted themselves out of the car at lightning speed and ran towards the wooden door eagerly. She got out, closing her door as silently as she could and took Ellis out of her car seat with delicacy. The baby didn't seem fazed by the transition, cuddling into her auntie. Amelia followed the kids at her own rhythm, walking like the adult she was even though she was as excited as the children.

When Sofia opened the door and saw her two friends onto the other side, the three of them immediately group-hugged, shrieking animatedly and Amelia cringed, eyeing her sleeping niece. Eventually and thankfully, their enthusiasm died down and they let go of each other.

"Hola Amelia!" Sofia greeted her happily and hugged the neurosurgeon's knees.

"Hello buddy," she pushed a few dark locks away from her smiling face. "Are you excited for our camping trip?"

Sofia nodded eagerly. "I hope there are lots of trees so we can play hide and seek and that we can eat grilled marshmallows."

"Are you and your mommy bringing any marshmallows?" Amelia teased her with a smile.

"Si, Mommy packed them!"

"We-we're having s'mores?" Zola asked, baffled and thrilled at the same time.

"It'd appear so, little dude," Amelia nodded to her niece.

Arizona appeared at the doorstep, happy to see everybody here and smiling. She had a small luggage in one hand and her crutches into another. Amelia frowned for a few seconds, not understanding why on earth she would have them before remembering that the other woman had a prosthetic.

"Hello everybody," Arizona said warmly.

A chorus of his and hellos was heard in reply.

"Is that all you have?" the neurosurgeon asked, pointing to the baggage.

"Yes. You did say not to bring anything so we only took some clothes and some snacks. And our duffel bags of course."

"Alright. Let's do a toilet run and then we can get this show on the road!"

* * *

"What was that?" Bailey asked concerned, his eyes looking everywhere in the car in worry.

Ellis babbled in her seat in a questioning tone, mimicking her big brother. Before the adults could reply however, Zola beat them at it.

"Just a little earthquake," Zola deadpanned with a nonchalant shrug.

"AN EARTHQUAKE!?" Bailey grew obviously more anxious, his fingers tightening around his seatbelt.

"Chill out. It was just a speed bump, honey. Nothing to be scared of," Amelia said reassuringly, her eyes searching for Bailey into the rearview mirror and watched his body relaxing. "Stop scaring him Zola," she chastised. "Apologize please."

"I'm sorry Bailey. That wasn't really nice. I love you."

Bailey's face lighted up. "I love you too, Zola."

"And I love all of you!" Sofia said, her arms opening wide to motion to everyone present in the car and Ellis jabbered cheerfully.

Both adults felt a grin appear on their faces, those kids were the definition of adorable.

"Yes, that goes for you too, little missy," the blonde cued to the baby. "We love all of you too, kiddos."

"That we do," Amelia affirmed with a determined nod. "We all-"

"Wait, shhh!" Arizona cut her off and her left hand flew to the dashboard, turning the sound level up.

From the corner of her eyes, the neurosurgeon could see the ecstatic look taking over the friend's features and the barely noticeable way her body started to dance onto her seat. The Can't stop the feeling tune filled up the car and the kids started to sing like a bunch of lunatics, soon join by both adults. The blonde grabbed a hand cream tube that was lying around on the dashboard and pretended to sing into it as if it was a microphone.

Amelia suspected it was some sort a family tradition because she could spy Sofia miming a microphone too with her hand in the rearview mirror. The five of them were singing at the top of their lungs, all off-key and carefree. The neurosurgeon felt more at peace in this very moment than she had in a while, row and unexpected happiness cursing through her veins and she couldn't fight off the enormous smile that spread onto her lips. As the song came to its end, they were all giggling and even Ellis appeared to be quite amused by their more-than-medium skills.

"Are you making fun of us, Ellis?" Arizona turned around and extended her arm to gently tickle the baby's feet. "Is that why you're giggling so much? Because we're being silly?" the baby giggled even more, trashing her legs around to avoid the blonde's devilish fingers.

"Another one!" Zola shrieked, and soon enough the three kids were all chanting.

Arizona looked at Amelia and asked conspiratorially, "Shall we pop the Disney CD in?"

* * *

"Wow."

"It's so pretty."

"Look, squirrels!" Bailey squealed as he pointed towards the left side of the car, his nose crashing against the window as he leaned in closer to see the wildlife.

The excited looks radiating of the kids' faces as Amelia was driving through the forest they were going to camp in didn't go unnoticed by the two adults.

"We're almost there. Fifteen minutes tops," Amelia announced.

"Thank God, I don't know how much longer my bladder is going to last for," Arizona confessed.

"You're worst than the kids," the neurosurgeon teased.

"Well, the kids didn't have two mugs of coffee this morning to wake them up correctly because their shift ended at midnight last night."

"Thankfully for us. They're already excited enough as it is without caffeine into their system. We would be overwhelmed."

"We definitely would," Arizona chuckled.

A few minutes later, the neurosurgeon was parking the car in the middle of nowhere, encircled by large trees and birds singing. The area was mostly grass, allowing campers to put up tents where they wanted and kids to run around without tumbling over any tree root.

"We're here."

They all jumped out of the car, grateful to finally be able to stretch like they wanted after almost two hours of driving without a single pause. Arizona went to the back of the car to grab Ellis.

"Okay, kids. You're allowed to run around and explore the perimeter as long as you stay into Arizona's and I's line of sight. That means no going into the actual forest for now. We have all the time for that later. And when we call you out, it means we expect you to come back to us. Is that understood?"

All three kids nodded eagerly, bouncing onto the balls of their feet with anticipation, their eyes wide opened and taking in the forest surrounding them with curiosity.

"Alright then. Go on, play," Arizona said with a sweet smile.

They didn't need to be told twice and quickly scattered, shrieking loudly.

"How about we set up a play mat for Ellis first, then we can start putting up the tents and if we're not done by lunch, we can always finish after. We can worry about the rest this afternoon."

"Sounds like a plan," the neurosurgeon agreed. "We packed three tents but I'm pretty sure the kids will want to bunk up. So it leaves two tents for just the three of us. I thought we could only put two up. One for the kids and one for us and Ellis. Less work and simpler."

"Is there any particular reason you want to share your tent with me, Dr Sheperd? Do you have something to tell me I don't know yet?" Arizona teased with a smirk.

"Fuck off Robbins," Amelia replied with a chuckle and swatted her friend's arm playfully.

They were in the middle of the second tent when they heard some ruckus coming from the kids. They stopped dead on their tracks and turned around only to see them yelling at each other not so far away from them.

"IT'S CHEATING!" Zola accused vehemently her brother, stumping her foot angrily to the ground.

"NO IT'S NOT!" Bailey replied just as forcefully.

"YOU ALWAYS CHEAT BAILEY!"

"I DIDN'T CHEAT! YOU SET THE RULES AFTERWARD BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE."

"I better go and check what's up before it escalates any further," Amelia said and scurried off. "Hey, what's happening?" she asked rather calmly as she knelt next to the kids.

"We-we we-were playing t-tag-"

"It's okay. Calm damn sweetheart. Take your time," her tone was reassuring and she offered her niece a comforting smile to encourage her to chill.

The African American took a deep breath, "We were playing tag and we said no tag back but Bailey touched me back anyway."

"That's not true! She said no tag back afterwards I touched her because she didn't want to be tag."

"No, we didn't Bailey," Sofia said shyly, her voice low. Amelia could tell she was feeling bad about calling out the little boy on his lies, even though it was the right thing to do. She played with her fingers nervously and her eyes finally looked up from the ground to look at Amelia. "We all agreed before we started playing. No tag back and the safe house is between the three trees over there."

The neurosurgeon took her hands in hers and gently caressed the back of it supportively. "Thank you a lot for explaining Sofia," she then turned towards her nephew. "Bailey, do you have anything to say?"

"I didn't even want to play stupid tag, Auntie Amelia."

"Why did you agree to play then?" Zola asked, not angry anymore but puzzled by her brother.

"I said okay because I wanted to play with you," he admitted somehow timidly and visibly saddened.

Amelia felt her heart break slightly into her chest. From what her sister-in-law had told her, Zola and Bailey had always gone along well when they were little. But since Zola had started school, her behavior had changed. She was playing less with him, saying he was too much of a baby for her now. Her brother was obviously having a difficult time adjusting to this new development. He didn't really understand and he just wished they could play more together, like they used to before. Amelia could now see how much it affected the little boy and just wanted to hug him until he was alright.

"Oh. Well, we can always play another game if you want," Zola suggested with a shrug and the adult beamed at the proposition.

"Yeah, we don't mind," Sofia said confidently with a nod.

"Alright then," she kissed her nephew's forehead. "But I don't want to hear another lie today, okay dude? Or else, you're going to have some time out. If you disagree, you can speak up, nobody's going to blame you for expressing your feelings. Ever."

He smiled at the three girls around him, smiling toothily. "Okay. Thanks."

"You're welcome. We good, kids?"

They all nodded and Amelia finally got up, her knees popping loudly as she stood up. They settled on a new game within a few instant and ran away giggling, the small fight already behind them.

"Everything's alright?" Arizona asked with an eyebrow raised, slightly worried as the brunette came back to help her finish.

"Yeah, nothing serious. They're already back to playing."

The pediatric surgeon let out a small sigh of relief, "Well, let's get back to work Sheperd. Those tents aren't going to put themselves up."

"Unfortunately for us," she chuckled with a roll of eyes and grabbed a handful of tent pegs.

It turned out Arizona was impressively talented at putting tents together and both of them were up by lunch time. The brunette couldn't help but wonder how many times Arizona had done this with her brother and why she eventually ended up hating camping so much. However, asking felt like intruding her privacy so she didn't, instead hoping they would grow closer and perhaps get to the point where they would share these kinds of things with each other.

They ate cold pizzas and yogurts for lunch in an improvised dining room. It basically consisted of logs in lieu of chairs and a bigger log in the middle to set the Tupperwares on. Both surgeons had taken Ellis' car seat out of the car so she would be more comfortable and in a correct sit up position to devour her baby food jar. It was simple but nobody minded it, especially not the kids since there wasn't any table to set or tablecloth to be careful to not stain.

Bailey and his little sister were both napping so Amelia, Sofia and Zola decided to do some exploring while Arizona stayed with them and installed some stuffs for tonight like their duffel bags, pillows and flashlights. She was shooting a text to April when the boy woke up. His hair was sticking at weird angle and he looked around skeptically, disoriented and not recognizing anything so he clenched his stuffie tighter.

"Hey buddy," the pediatric surgeon dropped her phone and opened her arms.

Bailey wasted no time to bury his drowsy body into her maternal hug and she dropped a kiss onto his forehead.

"Slept okay?"

He nodded, resting his head onto her shoulders and effectively sitting on her laps. "Where are the others?"

"Ellis is still napping and the others went into the forest to poke around. You want to go with them?"

"No. Wanna stay here with you," he shook his head decisively. "Quiet."

She kept on caressing his back tenderly, letting him wake up slowly to his own rhythm. They weren't in any rush after all. After a while, Arizona could tell he was fully woken up, his little hand wasn't gripping his cuddle toy as tight and he had ceased to yawn.

"What do you want to do sweetheart?"

He got out of his hiding place into Arizona's neck to look up at her. "Book?" he asked in a hopeful tone.

Arizona focused, trying to remember where Amelia had put the children's books. They searched through the kids' baggage and found them safely tucked under pajamas. They settled comfortably against a few logs, the little boy settled into the blonde's arms and he listened intensely what she was reading, his dark chocolate eyes analyzing the colorful drawings adorning each page.

Their second book finished, Ellis had woken up as well so they decided to play with her on her play mat. Bailey was trying to help her built a small tower with her big plastic cubes when the three others girls came back. Zola and Sofia could be heard giggling as they kept on looking onto the ground and Amelia was holding a plastic bag with God only knew what into her hand. The neurosurgeon took a sit next to the blonde and smiled warmly at them. Bailey and Ellis paid them no mind, too busy by their four cubes-high tower.

"What's in the bag?" Arizona asked as she motioned to the said bag with her chin.

"Leaves."

"Leaves?"

"Amelia and us are going to do an herbarium Mommy!" Sofia said, clearly excited by the idea and Zola nodded along.

Arizona raised an eyebrow, happy to see them do something together but gave Amelia an inquisitive look.

"What? I loved doing that stuff when I was around their age," Amelia shrugged.

The pediatric surgeon chuckled as she pictured a little Amelia Sheperd chasing leaves around and sticking them into a book, labeling them with meticulousness.

"Don't make fun of me! It's a great educational and fun activity!" she said defensively.

"I'm not mocking you, I swear! It's just… you guys are cute."

"Like there was ever any doubt about that," she said confidently with a smirk and Arizona rolled her eyes, more amused than actually annoyed though.

The rest of their afternoon was filled with games. Hide and seek, uno, piggy back ride races… whatever made the kids smile and giggle, they did. However, it had left them tired so they had an early dinner. Arizona had made a small, really small fire to keep them warm and also provide some light as they ate a potato salad. Amelia had rarely heard the kids speak so little, eating hungrily their dinner without any complaints instead of chatting. They let the kids change into their pajamas and warm coats as Arizona fed the last of her baby food jar to Ellis.

Seeing that the baby was already half asleep, her auntie decided to go ahead and put her down to sleep into Arizona's and hers shared tent. She quickly changed her diaper and arranged the pillows to ensure her safety and comfort before getting out, letting the zip open so they could keep an eye on her.

As she joined the little group back, everyone was lying down and looking up at the sky, far enough of the fire to be safe but not too far to still take advantage of the heat. They had also taken out some pillows and blankets and Sofia was hugging her mommy.

"What are we doing?" Amelia asked as she laid down next to her nephew.

"We're trying to spot constellations," Arizona replied.

"Which one did you find so far?"

"I found ursa minor," Zola pointed at the sky with her index. "Polaris is here and then you go to form a saucepan like this."

"That's very good Zola," Arizona said optimistically at Zola's knowledge.

"Daddy taught Bailey and me how to find it not too long ago. He said Polaris is the only star that shines every night and that it doesn't move."

"It is. That's why sea adventurers use it. It helps them know where they are into the ocean," Amelia provided.

"If you look closely, you can see Cassiopeia over there," the pediatric surgeon pointed to a bunch of stars. "See that weird W shape? That's it. Do you remember the story behind that one, Sof?"

The Latina shook her head against her mother's chest.

"Cassiopeia was the wife of the king Cepheus. She was beautiful but she was also arrogant. It means she was bigheaded and overconfident. She claimed that her daughter's, Andromeda, and hers beauty were superior to every sea Nymphs. Poseidon, the God of Sea, took it as an offence. He chose to ban her to the sky as a punishment, where everyone could gawk at her."

"Can you tell us another story Arizona? Please?" Zola asked as her and her brother each cuddled into their auntie's arms.

"Can you tell Orion's mommy? Me gusta this one."

Amelia could easily deduce that it was something they often did since Sofia had apparently heard a lot of different stories and even had time to settle on which one was her favorite. She could clearly see the appeal. She would gladly spend all night long listening to Arizona narrating her mythology stories and showing her constellations if she could.

"What's O-onion?" Bailey asked with a frown.

"Orion, honey," Amelia corrected him.

The brunette's hands rubbed the kids' backs soothingly as Arizona spoke.

"Orion was the son of Poseidon, the God of the sea I told you guys about. He was a gifted hunter and he often hunted with Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. One night, Apollo, her brother, saw something far away coming out of the water. Thinking it was a monster, he fearfully asked Artemis to kill it before it destroyed their land. So Artemis took her bow and an arrow out, aimed for the strange shadow in the darkness of the night and shot. Unfortunately, Apollo had been wrong. As they got closer, they discovered it was not a monster but merely Orion. They had arrived too late sadly, and he was already dead. Artemis was so sad for him she pleaded the God of medicine to resurrect him, to bring him back to life but alas, he couldn't. She missed him so much, she decided to honor him by putting him up into the sky. Orion's constellation shines almost every night, it isn't that hard to find but it looks a little weird. Isn't that right Sofia?" she looked down and saw that her daughter had fallen asleep.

Her heart swelled up at her peacefully adorable face.

"I think we lost the kids," the other woman murmured to her.

The blonde turned her head to look at Zola and Bailey, and sure enough, they were sleeping as soundly as Sofia.

"Am I that boring?" Arizona asked lightheartedly and the brunette chuckled.

"I didn't know you were such a nerd," Amelia looked at her.

Arizona almost got lost in her eyes for a few moments. The usually misty blue orbs were black enough to make the starry night sky reflect into them, the only hint of blue apparent was where the light of the fire was hitting them. Realizing she was probably staring, Arizona advertised her eyes back up to the sky, a light blush coming up her cheeks. She silently hoped that the other woman wasn't able to see it.

"Timothy and I used to live near an astronomic station with an observatory when we lived in South Dakota. It had this huge panoramic screen up the ceiling and those awfully comfortable seats. You know, the ones where you're not totally laid down but almost so you can see the screen above you perfectly? We went more times than I can count," she looked back at Amelia, a nostalgic yet happy smile on her face. "Tim had this huge crush on the cashier and he would blush like crazy every time she would hand him the change. I used to tease him all the time about it."

The neurosurgeon had an empathic look onto her features and the blonde felt an unexpected warm hand taking her own, squeezing it caringly. Arizona squeezed it back, thankful for the gesture.

"Come on, let's get the kids to bed. It's starting to get cold and I don't think getting them all sick would improve my relationship with my sister-in-law."

* * *

"Do you want to zip our sleeping bags together? This way, we can put Ellis in the middle more securely. Maybe get a couple more pillows from the car just to be sure?"

"Smooth Robbins," Amelia teased with a smug grin. "Sure, let's zip our bags together. _For Ellis_."

"Asshole," Arizona threw a pillow at her as she chuckled.

The blonde gently took the sleeping baby against her while the neurosurgeon zipped their bags. She threw all the pillows they had so that they wouldn't be uncomfortable and that Ellis would be surrounded by nothing but softness instead of the harsh ground if she rolled over in her sleep. Arizona gently laid the little girl back down and both adults changed into their pajamas, not without some difficulties now that they had stopped the fire and had no light except for their flashlights.

"What time should we leave at tomorrow?" Arizona whispered and set her prosthetic next to her.

"I figured if we get up not too late, we could do brunch at Wendy's. We passed a few on our way here, I think the closest one is about one hour away," Amelia's hand rubbed her niece's belly absentmindedly.

"That's more than okay with me. How about I set the-" the blonde stopped mid-sentence as something evil hit her nose.

"Do you smell that?" Amelia scrunched up her nose.

"I definitely can," Arizona's hand went straight to pinch her nostrils.

The other woman smelled around and rapidly identified the source. "Fuck. We have a code brown, Ellis toasted her diaper."

"Take this," she gave her another flashlight and grabbed Ellis' bag to get the necessities out. "Let me find you a fresh one. I'm also going to open the zip and take a risk on mosquitoes because we won't be able to survive if we don't open and let some oxygen in."

"Please do," Amelia almost pleaded.

Once they could finally breathe, Arizona gave the other woman the baby wipes. She received a weird look.

"No, you do it."

"What? No _you_ do it."

"No, I changed the last one."

"I changed Sofia's for a year and half. I already had my fair share."

"Rock-paper-scissors?"

Arizona contemplated her answer for a moment. If she won, Amelia would stop her nonsense and if Amelia won, well… what was one more diaper anyway?

"Okay. On three."

Both women placed a fist into the palm of their other hand and counted down. "One, two, three." Amelia's paper had to admit defeat to Arizona's scissors and she whined, disgruntled, which made the blonde giggle.

"Should have known the lesbian was going to play scissors," the neurosurgeon kidded.

Arizona faked to be appalled, a hand flew to her chest and her mouth opened into a perfect O-shape. "I was going to offer to assist you but you absolutely don't deserve it."

"You were? Please, help me? I'm pretty sure I'm just going to put it backwards with this darkness. Plus, I need my two hands so I can't hold the flashlight at the same time."

"Do you take it back?"

"Totally, I've never been more sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I offer my sincerest and deepest apologies."

"Okay, okay. I wasn't asking for that much," Arizona giggled. "Come on, let's clean this baby up."

A diaper in the right way and a long gibberish monologue from Ellis later, Amelia closed the zip of their tent back up and they were all set to go back to sleep.

"You a stinky little baby," Amelia cued lovingly and faked to eat Ellis' little grabby fingers which were trying to play with her hair and Ellis shrieked happily.

The other woman had been silent for a while so the brunette looked up to see if she was sleeping. Instead, she found the blonde was staring at them with a soft expression on her face.

"Baby nostalgia?"

"A little, yeah. Makes me remember when Sofia was still my little baby. I can't believe she's six now. I look at her and I wonder where all that time passed. Kids grow up so fast."

"I still can remember the day Derek and Meredith told me they were going to adopt Zola. They facetimed me and she kept trying to eat Der's phone," she chuckled. "She ended up tiring herself out and fell asleep right in Mer's arms. She was the cutest thing. Now she handles Derek's phone almost better than him and she has more energy than a whole pack of AA batteries."

Arizona smiled knowingly. "Don't I know it. I love that they're so passionate and excited about discovering new things at this age but I'm pretty sure Sofia's going to end up being a marathoner if she keeps running every time something catches her eyes."

"At least you don't have to endure the smelly diapers anymore."

"Amen to that," Arizona chuckled.

* * *

"READY, SET, GO!" Zola exclaimed loudly and they all started to run towards their assigned tent.

Amelia and Zola ran left while Arizona and Bailey ran right. Meanwhile, Sofia was making flower crowns with Ellis sitting next to her, explaining out loud what she was doing as she picked yet another tiny daisy up. She had already helped packed most of the baggage so she had absolutely no interest in participating to whatever silly things the others were doing.

Arizona and Amelia had had the bright idea to make a bet. Whoever would be the slowest to finish cleaning up their tents would have to pay for breakfast at Wendy's. Arizona had been septic when the brunette had suggested the idea. The blonde had done this hundreds of times when she was younger and, while she had no doubt about her friend's skills, she knew Amelia was less trained than her. Yet the way she had smirked had told her Amelia had a trick up her sleeve and Arizona was too curious to refuse. Plus, it turned out to be a good way to involve the kids into helping out so that was a nice bonus.

"Come on, Zola you get the tent pegs in the back and I get the ones in the front!"

Next to the other tent, Arizona snatched a clean tent peg out from the small stack of spare ones and sat behind Bailey. "Have you ever taken a peg out before, sweetheart?"

Bailey shook his head, an eager smile gracing his lips. "No. The only time I went camping, Daddy did it."

"Okay, I'm going to show you an easy way. All you need a spare peg," she held the metal piece up in front of him. "What we want to do is slide this curled up part under," she pointed to a peg into the ground. "this one. Think you can do it?"

He took the small metal bar and easily wiggled it to get it under the one planted firmly into the dirt. "Now what?" he asked to the blonde.

"Now you pull onto the long metal bar. Carefully though," she quickly added.

Bailey did what he was told and when the peg came out easily, his whole face lighted up. "I did it!"

"Sure you did buddy, congrats!" she pressed a kiss onto his forehead. "Think you handle the other ones while I take care of the framework?"

The little boy nodded, happy to be helpful and to have learned a new trick. She glanced at the other tent and held back a laugh as she saw Amelia and Zola having trouble removing the last peg, getting their hands really dirty and grimacing. Thank God they had baby wipes. While Bailey got the last peg, Arizona was putting the last piece of framework away so they were only left with the actual tent tissue to fold.

"STOP! WE'RE DONE!"

"WE WON!"

Arizona was surprised to hear them yell and was almost fearful to turn around to assess the damage. Zola and Amelia had indeed packed the thing up, just not the way the pediatric surgeon had expected them to.

"The rule was to be first," Amelia said pointedly. "We shook on packing a tent, not _correctly_ packing a tent."

Arizona raised an eyebrow doubtfully and pointed to Amelia's mess. "If you hold that up, everything's going to fall. The point of packing is so you can transport things from one point to another without losing anything."

"Oh, okay," Amelia conceded and then took Zola's and hers hard work to the trunk, not a single piece falling out. She made her way back to them, high-fived her niece and then grinned smugly. "You were saying?"

"That's still cheating!"

"No, it's not. It's being clever in order to win."

"See now Bailey and Zola, Auntie Amelia is being a smart-ass."


	5. NOBODY KNOWS

**CHAPTER 5 – NOBODY KNOWS**

Amelia and Arizona were the last ones still hanging out at Joe's. Again. It wasn't rare that either those two or either Owen and Amelia stayed even when the rest of their group of friends had disappeared a long time ago.

Today had been a complete and utter mess. City bus against trees had lead to emergencies after emergencies. Surgeons had been running around nonstop and pagers had kept on beeping all day long. Most of them had decided they could use a drink to unwind from this disastrous shift. Their friends and colleagues had left little by little, most of them too exhausted to stay up anymore, and before they had realized it, they had find themselves alone at their table.

Amelia was happily nursing her non-alcoholic drink and Arizona was somewhere in between tipsy and drunk, much to the neurosurgeon's amusement. She had already seen Robbins drunk quite a few times, and man, was she a ride. If the brunette thought Arizona was sweet and fun sober, she was absolutely cute and hilarious when drunk. She liked the way the blonde didn't become completely someone else, how she still stayed herself, her cheerful personality simply blooming out of its shell as alcohol flew through her veins.

"I guess the dreamy genes run in the family," Arizona said pensively, her eyes focused onto the neurosurgeon's features.

Amelia frowned at her, not understanding what she was referring to.

"Your brother. He has this surname at the hospital, Mc Dreamy," the pediatric surgeon explained, her speech barely slurred. "And you, you have this dreamy thing going on too."

"You think I'm dreamy?" she asked doubtfully, her brows furrowing.

She was Hurricane Amelia, ex-addict to drugs and booze but still addicted to bad choices, with a past of chronic depression, a dead fiancé and a dead son. Dreamy was the last thing people used to describe her. The word didn't even exist in the same plan as her.

"Yes! You get this shine in your eyes whenever you're talking about something you're passionate or care deeply about, like neurosurgery or your nieces and nephew. And your smile changes too, it becomes more radiant. Also, the hair and blue eyes undeniably help," Arizona replied truthfully with kind eyes.

Amelia just sat there, her smirk growing slowly as the blonde sitting in front of her was word vomiting. "That is some very bad flirting, Robbins," she said in a fake serious tone and quickly took a sip to hide her smile.

"Oh my god, I'm not hitting on you! I swear," Arizona apologized hurriedly, suddenly realizing how her little speech might have sounded, and she hoped the lights wouldn't make her upcoming blush too obvious. "I'm so sorry! I was just, you know, pointing out the facts that make you dreamy. I didn't mean to imply anything by it. I'm really sorry."

"Now, you're just going to upset me," the other woman teased her with a pout. "Am I not girlfriend material enough for you?"

"I think it's time we cut you off," the blonde laughed. "All those virgin Mojitos are getting straight to your head, Sheperd."

"Please! You're gay and I'm bi. Between the two of us, nothing is going straight anywhere," Amelia chuckled.

"I guess they'll have to stay on stand_by_," Arizona joked back awfully, she was totally going to blame that terrible pun on the wine, and both women giggled.

Only then Amelia's brain registered what she had just said out loud. Oh, shit. Her heart sped up in her chest and she felt her cheeks heat up instantly. Coming out, by mistake, for the first time ever, at almost one AM at Joe's bar really hadn't been on her to do list this morning when she had woken up. There was no going back now. Better Arizona than another one of their colleagues, she thought.

"You alright?" Arizona asked, her eyebrows furrowed in concern at the sudden stop of Amelia's laugh.

"I guess the cat is out of the bag, then," Amelia said self-consciously, her hand clenching around her glass ever so slightly.

"I already knew, Amelia," Arizona giggled and took a sip.

"No, you didn't. I just told you," she said, obviously doubtful.

"Honey, I did," the pediatric surgeon said reassuringly and softly took the other woman's hand which was resting on top of the table, giving her a supportive squeeze.

"How? Is it that obvious?"

"It's not, I just have a good gaydar," the blonde explained. "I've seen you innocently flirting with a few female members of the staff. It's cute by the way, the way you're trying to stay discreet. Almost wondered if I wasn't making it up for a while. And I've also seen you checked out more than enough men to know you at least find them attractive. So, I figured you were either bi and predominantly attracted to men, or either I was getting delusional from my dry spell and I was starting to see things."

"How did you know you weren't?"

"I came across your Tinder profile," Arizona smirked smugly, her eyes shining with self-satisfaction and alcohol.

"I had just moved to Seattle, I didn't know anyone. I was trying to make friends, okay?!"

"Friends, sure. I've heard that one before. If I remember right, that was an interesting amount of cleavage you showed in your profile picture for friendship," she said playfully.

"Fuck off," she threw a paper towel at the blonde with a giggle. "I deleted my account a few days ago anyway."

"Why?"

"Living at my brother's and managing casual sex at the same time isn't really the brightest idea. Plus, I realized that I'm not quite ready to go back out there, even for fun. I want to focus on me for a while instead. Work, friends, my nieces and nephew…"

"That's good," the blonde said encouragingly.

"Can you not tell Derek? About me being bi?" the neurosurgeon asked shyly, she felt kind of guilty to ask the other woman to bear her secret. "I'm not ashamed or anything, it's just… it never came up? I mean, I've always been attracted to men and women but it turned out all the people that I've been interested in or dated so far have been men so I've never felt like I needed to shove my sexuality into my family's face. They would be even more impossible than they already are with my love life," she rolled her eyes, imagining how much nosier her siblings would get were they to learn that Amelia was attracted to both sexes, "Why bring it up if it's not an issue, right?"

"Ow, you're a baby bi, that's so adorable!" Arizona said drunkenly into what Amelia referred as her mommy voice since she used it primarily with Sofia and the sick tiny humans. "I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me about this, even thought I had already figured it out. It means a lot. And don't worry, I'm not going to say anything."

"You're not?"

"Why would I? Coming out is a really personal thing, you should be able to do it on your terms and conditions," Arizona frowned. "I do have a question though: what happens if you ever get interested in a woman?"

"Guess I'll cross that bridge if I ever get there," the brunette said, not bothered in the least and then her brows furrowed, looking at the blonde with an inquisitive look. "Robbins?"

"What?"

"Did you swipe right or left when my picture came up?"

Arizona almost spat her wine out and a hiccup escaped her.

* * *

The doorbell ringing at four AM surely surprised Arizona. It effectively woke her up and for a few moments, she didn't dare moving in her bed, in case the offending sound had just been a trick of her mind. Unfortunately, it rang again, more urgently this time. She whined unhappily at the prospect of getting out of her warm cocoon but did it anyway. Irritated and annoyed, she got out, grabbed her crutches and wrapped a blanket around her before going to answer the door.

The pediatric surgeon was mid-yawn and still rubbing her sleepy eyes when her blue orbs landed onto a fairly disheveled Amelia. The brunette looked somewhere between worried, guilty and embarrassed. Her fisted hands were buried deep into her jacket's pockets, her puffy reddened eyes had difficulty to look up from the ground and her shiny cheeks instantly let Arizona know she had been crying not so long ago.

"Amelia?" she asked confused.

"I-I'm sorry to bother you," her eyes briefly looked up but as soon as they met Arizona's, they were back down. "I-uh, I was at the hospital an-and there was this big car accident. It didn't really-uh, go well, I guess. Nor-normally I would go to an AA meeting, but it's li-like four am. I was hea-heading back to Der's but the kids are asleep and Mer and Der are sleeping too and I-I don't, I don't wanna be alone right now and I didn't know-," this time, her saddened blue eyes stayed up as she let out a deep shaky breath. "I need a friend."

Arizona felt her heart shattering into her ribcage and an urge to console the other woman ignited from somewhere deep inside her bones. Amelia looked so damn _broken_ at this very moment. And it hurt to see her in pain like this. So tortured by whatever past traumatic events that she didn't even trusted herself to be alone right now.

It reminded Arizona so much of herself, when she was still grieving her leg and her divorce. As if for a few moments, she was looking straight at her reflection from a few years back into a mirror. Thankfully, her breakdowns were getting rarer and rarer nowadays but she still had a few bad days. The ones where she would end up calling April or Callie in the middle of the night because she needed someone. Someone to tell her it was just all a bad dream. Someone to tell her she was still alive. Someone to comfort her, to care for her.

And she knew how embarrassing and shameful it could feel. _Asking_ for help. It wasn't such an easy thing to do. Deep down, this little voice would always tell her to just get over herself, to not bother someone else with her problems… And it would take guts to shut that voice up and ask for that comfort. So it warmed Arizona's heart to know that Amelia trusted her enough to come to her. No wanting to make her friend feel even more down than she already was, Arizona gave her a warm smile and slightly opened her arms.

"Come here, sweetie," she invited gently.

The pediatric surgeon didn't need to say it twice. Amelia propelled herself into her arms, making Arizona loose her crutches in surprise. Her head hid into the crook of her neck, instantly seeking the protectiveness it offered, and Arizona could feel her body melting as she wrapped her arms around her friend's waist. She let the brunette cried her pain out as she whispered sweet nothings to her. April liked it, she always said it made her feel a little better and it never failed to appease Sofia, so Arizona hoped Amelia would feel the same about it. Her hand rubbed her back up and down slowly until her cries subsided. She didn't know how long they had been standing there, into the middle of her entryway with her front door open. It would be futile to even care, Arizona would have gladly stayed here all night long if it was what Amelia needed but unfortunately her right leg was starting to hurt.

"Amelia?" she cued softly to get her attention.

Amelia sniffed in an effort to pull herself back together and pulled away from the embrace slowly. She was slightly puzzled when the other woman stopped her from getting away by holding onto her. She looked up at her confused, to which Arizona grinned reassuringly.

"Would you mind getting me my crutches please?"

Amelia looked down, noticing them for the first time since she had been here. They must have made a pretty loud noise when they had reached the floor, but she honestly had been so focused that she hadn't even heard them. She offered one of her arm for Arizona to hold onto and bent down to collect them.

"Thanks."

"I-uh, you're welcome," she replied sheepishly with the smallest smile the pediatric surgeon had ever seen.

"Do you want to take a shower?"

Amelia could feel the sweet maternal vibes coming off from Arizona. The infinite care and tenderness had kicked in at the sight of her friend in distress. The blonde probably hadn't even realized it, the little glint sparkling inside her bright sleepy eyes told it for her though. She was suddenly comforted in her choice to come over here instead of Owen's. While Owen and her shared a special bond, the redhead lacked this specific parental vibe. Weirdly enough, it put the neurosurgeon more at ease.

"I-uh, that would be great, yeah," her hands went back into her pockets, still a little embarrassed.

"Come on then, let's find you some pajamas and then you can finally get a well deserved night of sleep."

Amelia stood into the corridor for God knew how long. She was standing in between Arizona's room and the guest room, not knowing which way to go. She had slept over plenty of time, always in the guest room. But her mental state hadn't been that low back then. She hadn't been feeling this miserable or this fearful of how close she was standing to the edge of doing a big fucking mistake. After a few minutes of pep talk and weighing the pros and cons over and over, she followed her instinct and knocked softly onto the wooden door.

"Come in."

Arizona didn't think she had ever witnessed Amelia looking quite this small. The strong and independent woman that had stood in front of her into her surgical scrubs this morning was nowhere to be seen. The pajamas she had landed her seemed to eat her whole. Her fingertips pulled nervously onto the sleeves so they weren't visible, the top hung loose onto her thin frame, her wet hair sticking to her scalp made her look even thinner and her abashed face did nothing to help. Now barefoot, she had lost the few inches her shoes offered her onto Arizona.

"Is it alright if I sleep here with you?"

Arizona opened the comforter next to her, wordlessly inviting her in and cleaned up her book. They both laid on their side, silently facing each other. Amelia was curled into a fetal position, ostensibly trying to take as little space as possible into the bed. She wrapped one arm around her legs. That movement alone seemed to put more distance between them than any amount of physical distance ever would. By this simple gesture, Arizona knew Amelia's defenses were going back up.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Arizona still whispered.

Amelia shook her head. "Can we just… stay like this? Please?"

Arizona nodded and had to stop herself from reaching over to offer physical comfort. The pediatric surgeon watched silently as the other woman's gaze grew hazier, her eyelids heavier, the sleep deprivation taking over her features. She watched as her breath grew even and she finally fell asleep, stopping whichever mental war had chosen to test her today.

Then, and only then, Arizona allowed herself to go back to sleep.

* * *

The first thing the neurosurgeon saw when she opened her eyes the next morning (or was it simply later the same day?) was Arizona sat up against the headboard, her tablet into her hands and her tousled honey blonde hair cascading down her shoulders. She blinked a few times, her eyes were stinging her, her head felt like someone was trying to drill a screw inside her skull and the sunlight did nothing to help her. She squinted hard, getting accustom to the light and stretched her limbs a little.

Feeling the bed digging next to her, the pediatric surgeon noticed Amelia was slowly waking up instead of seeing her into the agitated sleep the other woman had been in almost all night. Arizona felt her heart slow down in relief.

"Oh, hey sleepyhead. You're up," the blonde greeted sweetly and put her tablet aside to focus only onto Amelia.

"Morning," the brunette voice was hoarse. From crying or sleeping, she wasn't sure. "Do you have any water?" she asked groggily.

"Thought you might need some," Arizona grabbed the glass of water from her bedside table and handed it to her friend.

"Thanks," she sat up and eagerly took a few sips. "What time is it?"

"A little after ten. How are you feeling?"

Amelia released a deep breath. She had no idea of how she was feeling. Guilty for sure, for having bothered her friend in the middle of the night because she had been too overwhelmed with self destructive thoughts and self doubt. She knew it was a good thing that she had reached out last night, that she had acted onto the aching urge of a high by seeking someone. But still, it let her uneasy now.

Maybe it was because her friendship with Arizona was still relatively new. Sure, they had shared things about their past and she knew about her addictions but they hadn't seen each other vulnerable yet. They had never witness how bad their respective traumatic past had fucked them up. How anxious and distraught they would sometimes get. And somehow, letting Arizona see her exposed like that, emotions on display and her heart on sleeve, felt almost … intimate. Here she had been standing, waiting for the pediatric surgeon to glue her broken pieces for the night.

Her friends in LA had seen her at her worst and she trusted them implicitly to let herself be vulnerable in front of them. She knew they would always be there, no matter what. But she didn't have anyone like this here, in Seattle. Not even Derek had seen her at rock bottom. So, it felt like she had taken a giant leap of faith in Arizona. To be the one she could turn to.

And it turned out she had been right to trust her guts, because Arizona had known exactly what to do. She hadn't judged her and simply took her in without asking what was going on or why she was ringing her at four AM. Amelia couldn't help but wonder it maybe it was because they were both so fucked up. So fucked up that they knew better than to ask and expect an explanation.

So the neurosurgeon didn't really know she was feeling. She was feeling too much and couldn't really focus on one emotion alone.

"Emotionally exhausted but physically pretty rested," she answered honestly. "I'm sorry about last night, I didn't mean to bother you. I know I woke you up and-"

"Amelia-"

"-I probably should have called or something. What if you had had Sofia? Thank god she-"

"Amelia-"

"-is at Callie's. I can't believe I hadn't th-"

"Amelia," Arizona said louder and firmly put a hand onto her shoulder.

The neurosurgeon stopped.

"You don't apologize for asking my help okay? Not now, not ever," she squeezed her shoulder gently. "When you need a friend or a shoulder to cry on or simply someone to kick your butt when you're being a dumbass, I'm here, okay?"

"You don't know how much this means to me," her face relaxed.

"We all need someone," Arizona shrugged nonchalantly. "Do you want to talk about it now?"

Amelia took a deep breath, trying to no let her emotions take over. Arizona could tell the other woman was conflicted about sharing whatever had caused her to be so distraught last night.

"Hey, don't feel pressured. It's alright if you don't want to. You don't owe me an explanation for crashing."

"I want to, someday. When the time is right?" Amelia looked at her friend with a shy smile.

"When the time is right," Arizona repeated with a big reassuring smile.

"What were you doing?" she motioned to the tablet with her chin, glad to change the subject.

"Tindering," the blonde answered with a blush, as if she had been caught red handed.

"Can I swipe for you?" she asked, excited at the prospect of helping her friend.

"Absolutely not," Arizona snorted.

"What? Why?" she asked with a frown, slightly upset.

"Because your taste in women sucks, that's why."

"What? No it doesn't!"

"Please, remember the blonde at Joe's a few days ago?"

She squinted her eyes and pointed an accusingly finger at the blonde. "My taste is great, we both agreed she was pretty. I just have a shitty gaydar, that's all. Pretty please?"

"Fine, you can help me choose. But I'm in charge of the swiping."

"Yes ma'am."

Arizona unlocked her tablet and logged back into her account.

"Oh, she's pretty. Swipe right."

"No, her name's Sofia. That would be too weird," the blonde swiped left. "Too young," she swiped left again. "Too old," she swiped left. "Well, hello Mandy."

"Damn. She's a lawyer, good. She has two dogs. She loves cooking, especially Italian recipes, and is a little OCD with cleaning. Oh, look, she says she's looking for a fun time. God, if you don't swipe right, I-"

Arizona swiped left.

"Why would you do that? She was amazing," Amelia slapped her arm gently.

"And so was the big shiny wedding ring adorning her ring finger onto her profile picture," Arizona said sarcastically.

"Oops?"

* * *

Arizona was scribbling a few notes onto her patient's chart at the nurses' station when suddenly, two little hands appeared in front of her eyes and a giggling voice was asking her excitedly "Guess who!"

Her pencil stilled onto the paper as she identified Bailey Sheperd's voice. She decided to play along his little game.

"Is it Derek?!"

"No, guess again!"

"Mmmmh, Owen?" Arizona pretended to think it over, stroking her chin as a sign of deep concentration.

"No!" the little hands then disappeared, her eyes squinted at the sudden light and she turned around to see the boy in Amelia's arms, giggling. He pointed at his chest with a proud smile, "T'was me Zona! Bailey!"

"Darn, you got me good Bailey boy!"

The neurosurgeon gently put him down with a huff. "You're getting too big for this nonsense, B," she chastised, the grin on her face told she really didn't mind though.

The blonde looked down and saw Zola and Bailey talking animatedly. Ellis was sleeping peacefully into the baby carrier against her auntie chest, her pacifier safely tucked into her mouth.

"Nanny duty?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep. Mommy and Daddy are working and Auntie Amelia loves her nieces and nephew so much that we decided to have a little party tonight. Pizza and twister."

"Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen," Arizona said playfully.

Zola perked up at the word party and looked up at Arizona with a serious expression. "It's a secret. You can't tell mommy or daddy. It's a school night and we're supposed to go to bed at half past eight."

"Well, I can see why Auntie Amelia is so popular," the pediatric surgeon teased the other woman.

"Oh, come on! It's not going to hurt them to go to sleep a little later than usual every once in a while."

"I promise not to tell anyone guys," she reassured Zola and the little girl visibly relaxed.

"You want to come over?" the neurosurgeon offered.

"I'd love to but I have Sofia this week."

"Even better then. The more the merrier."

"Can Sofia come, Arizona? Please?" the African American little girl asked her, her big black eyes looking up at her pleadingly.

"Yes, pretty please?" Bailey asked right after, his face mirroring his sister's.

"You're going to get four really sad Sheperds if you say no," Amelia said with a small pout.

"You play dirty, Dr Sheperd," Arizona said pointedly.

The pout on her new friend's face made her stomach twist into a weird yet very familiar way. Why not go after all? Sofia and her had no plan for the night and she really didn't felt like cooking after the shift she was currently pulling anyway. What was the point in eating take out at home when they could share pizzas with friends and have an enjoyable night?

"Is that a yes, Dr Robbins?" Amelia asked hopefully.

"Yes," she replied solemnly.

Both kids cheered happily, thanking her.

"Awesome!" Amelia exclaimed, as excited if not more than the kids and Ellis stirred a little at the disturbance.

"My shift ends in an hour though."

"Great, gives us just enough time to bath Ellis and then stretch out real good so we can be extra flexible at Twister and beat your as- beat you and Sofia," she quickly caught herself before saying anything inappropriate in front of the kids.

Amelia's bright grin alone was enough to convince Arizona she had made the right decision to say yes. "See you soon then."

"See you!"

* * *

"I can't believe you eat Hawaiian pizza," Arizona said.

Both surgeons had put the kids down to bed and were now sitting in Derek's living room, chilling with a glass of wine/orange juice. At first, she had planned for them to get home afterwards but Sofia and Zola had begged for a sleep over and Arizona couldn't resist them. She couldn't resist their huge and pleading deep chocolate eyes.

The game of Twister had been a total blast and even though Arizona's prosthetic hadn't allowed her to play as well as she once would have, she still had a fantastic time. The kids hadn't stopped laughing the entire time and seeing Sofia so happy had made her heart swell with love inside her chest. She lived for her daughter's happiness, for that adorable grin and those bright eyes of hers.

"I can't believe you don't," Amelia teased back.

"See, this is why you and I will never date."

"Oh, out of all the reasons you could choose, _that_ one is the deal breaker?" Amelia asked, laughing.

"Absolutely. Well, that and the fact that you always put the thermostat on boiling," Arizona chuckled.

"I do not!" Amelia pretended to be offended and put a hand her chest.

"You're kidding, right? Your room is literally the warmest place of the whole damn house. It's like 80° Fahrenheit in there!" she kidded.

"Fuck off! It's not!" she laughed and swatted Arizona's leg gently. "I used to live in LA?" she tried to justify, cringing at her own words.

"That's the worst excuse ever. Even you're not buying that bullshit."

"What can I say? I like to be warm."

"Yeah, that I noticed Sheperd," she teased with a warm smile.

"I like that you call me Sheperd," Amelia confessed, suddenly serious and no longer bantering.

"What do you mean?" the other woman frowned, not sure what the other woman was implying by that.

"You're one of the few that doesn't call me the She-Sheperd or the other Shepherd. I appreciate it," the brunette said shyly.

It made her feel valued, and for that, she was very grateful to the blonde. To make her feel important as her own individual rather than as Derek's little sister like most of the hospital staff did.

Arizona pursed her lips, like she was going to say something but choose to eventually abstain. Honestly, Amelia must be tired to always live in her brother's shadow. Arizona couldn't imagine living up to someone else's expectations all the time, every surgery of every day. Amelia didn't talk about it a lot, but the other woman could tell she felt under a lot of pressure and the blonde hated that. She hated that need that people had to compare them. The brunette was a fantastic neurosurgeon on her own. She wasn't Derek's little sister, she was simply Dr Sheperd, a talented and gifted neurosurgeon.

"You're a great neurosurgeon, Amelia. I feel lucky to have you in our hospital," she squeezed her upper arm, hoping to convey how much she meant it. The small thankful smile that Amelia gave her in return told her that she did and Arizona grinned back confidently.


	6. BLINDED

**CHAPTER 6 - BLINDED**

Amelia was laying onto the couch into the attending's room. Her day had been pretty slow, a few surgeries here and there that had gone smoothly, and Edwards was now assuring their surveillances so she was allowing herself a break.

Her phone between her hands, she kept on scrolling down, more and more disappointed as she carried on. She was apartment hunting. She loved her family dearly, she really did, but it was getting to the point when she felt the need to have her own place. A place where no baby was crying every two hours for its bottle, a place that she could decorate as she wished and where she could watch whatever mindless TV she wanted with a bowl of ice cream. A place she could call home and do the fuck she wanted.

The door opened and Arizona Robbins waltzed in, fresh and glowing, a smile appearing on her features as she saw her colleague.

"Hello Amelia," she greeted warmly and went to the coffee machine.

"Hey you. Long time, no see."

"You saw me literally three days ago and we video-called yesterday," she chuckled and served two coffees. "Scoot," she instructed.

Amelia moved, sitting up on the couch instead of taking all of the space, and the pediatric surgeon sat next to her and handed her a mug of black coffee.

"Thanks," she gladly took a sip as she kept on scrolling on her phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for an apartment. I can't live with my brother and his family forever. Also, the walls are pretty thin and the guest room's conveniently just next to theirs, because of course it is," she replied, her tone annoyed.

"Poor baby," Arizona chuckled. "Did you find anything interesting yet?"

"No. Everything is either way too expensive or too far from the hospital."

"You know, I've been looking for a roommate since Deluca moved out," Arizona said, both eyebrows raised.

"Are you asking me to move in with you?" the neurosurgeon's brows furrowed, her eyes quitting her phone screen to look up at her friend.

"It's just me and Sofia every other week. It can get pretty lonely when she's not here," the blonde shrugged.

"Wouldn't it be weird ? Me moving in with you? You have a kid and all that jazz."

"Sofia has no problem with it. Deluca lived with us for about six months and she absolutely loved him. She was inconsolable when he told her he was moving out. If I have a new roommate, it might as well be someone I like and that she likes too."

"So you like me Robbins?" Amelia asked with a smirk.

"Shut up," Arizona giggled and hit her friend's shoulder lightheartedly. "You won't get the room with this attitude."

Amelia thought about it, genuinely taking the offer into consideration. She had been over Arizona's more time than she could count since she had decided to move to Seattle. Her house was great, no stairs and a bigger garden than Derek's. Sofia was a delight to be around and she could see them hanging out more, playing with her and helping during bath time. And sure, the pediatric surgeon and her hadn't been friends for that long but she had spent enough time over to know what their habits' were and to know that she wouldn't mind living with those two humans on a day to day basis.

Arizona… well she was feeling conflicted about Arizona. She liked her, there wasn't any doubt about that, but she hadn't quite figured out if she liked her as a friend or if her feelings expended beyond friendship. Living with her could become problematic if it turned out to be the latter. She wouldn't have anywhere to run away from her emotions and confessing would just get her kicked out, back to square one where she was today. However, the more she pictured the three of them goofing around after a long day at work, the more it seemed appealing to just say yes.

"Well, I guess being awaken by only one little screaming monkey every other week is better than three little screaming monkeys every day. I'm sold."

"Wait, really?" Arizona seemed surprised by her agreement.

She had expected Amelia to at least take a few days to think it over, even asking for a few test days or something but she obviously wasn't expecting a flat out yes right out of the gate.

"Yeah," the neurosurgeon smiled confidently. "Your place is awesome. The guest room is bigger than the one I'm currently occupying and much better decorated. It's close enough to the hospital and also close to Derek's house so I can still help out. Sofia is an awesome kid. You're a great friend. Why not?"

"I-uh," Arizona cleared her throat and tried again, her voice finally back with a warm grin. "Okay. You're officially my new roommate then."

"Great! When can I move in?"

* * *

"So, should we establish some ground rules or something?" Amelia asked as she sat onto the other end of the couch and turned to face her friend-turned-roommate.

"Ground rules?" Arizona raised an eyebrow and took a sip out of her wine glass.

"Yeah. Like don't pee with the door open or all music must be listened with headphones on unless it's Queen because everybody loves him. You know, important stuff."

Arizona laughed. "While I like the way you think, I don't think those ones in particular are going to be useful. How about some basics rules? No swearing when Sofia's around."

"Now that I can do."

"No walking around naked, at least underwear and tank top must be on in shared space/common rooms."

"Always knock before entering," Amelia quickly added, she truly didn't need to traumatize her new roommate away with her habit of sleeping naked.

"All sex-related activities are to be practiced in one's room and no judging the one night stands – whoever they may be," Arizona said with a pointed look and Amelia chuckled. "Goes both ways of course."

"It always does with me," Amelia joked badly, referring to her bisexuality and Arizona rolled her eyes. "Hakuna matata on that, Robbins," the neurosurgeon pretended to zip her lips and threw the imaginary key away.

"And of course, last but not least, Sunday is PJ's day. But you already know that one. Do you have anything else you can think about?"

"Not right now."

"British bake off?" Arizona asked with a knowing smile as she grabbed the remote.

"You bet," the other woman smiled back and got herself comfortable, grabbing the blanket that was thrown over the back of the couch and threw it over their legs. "I haven't lived there even twenty four hours and I can already tell I did the right thing accepting your offer."

"I'm glad. I think we're going to be awesome roommates."

"Well, I'm pretty awesome to be around so, you know," Amelia said smugly with a teasing smile.

"I'm already starting to regret my decision," the blonde playfully elbowed her in her ribcage and rolled her eyes.

* * *

Arizona was in the process of flipping pancakes when two little feet could be heard shuffling against the hardwood floor. She turned around just in time to see her sleepy daughter entering the kitchen. Her long dark hair was a tangled mess and she was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, a big yawn escaping her.

"Hola mommy," she greeted drowsily.

"Hello sweetheart," the pediatric surgeon leaned forward and scooped her daughter up into her arms to sit her onto the counter next to her. She dropped her kiss onto her forehead, taking a breath of her daughter in, the soothing smell of artificial strawberries and childhood tingling her nose, "Did you have a good night?"

Sofia nodded, still not quite waken up yet and her thumb found its way into her mouth. Arizona kept on flipping the pancakes quietly, letting her emerging at her own pace. About three pancakes later, Sofia seemed a little more into her usual woken up-self, her eyes studying her mother's gestures with focus.

"Mommy?" she mumbled around her thumb.

"Yes Sof'?"

"Did you already wash the salad bowl con the batter?" she asked hopefully, her dark eyes shining with gluttony.

"I knew you would ask," Arizona giggled at her cuteness.

She grabbed the unwashed bowl out from the sink and installed Sofia onto one of the bar stool in front of her so she could keep an eye on her and still flip the pancakes. Her daughter's smile grew until it was hurting her cheeks and Arizona's heart melted at her cute angelic face.

"Thank you mommy!"

"You're welcome baby. Please, roll up your sleeves before putting your hands in there, okay?"

Sofia did what she was told and eagerly went to town, her little fingers coming and going between the glass bowl and her mouth at lightning speed. Just as the last pancake was cooked, Sofia was finished with the bowl so she handed it back to the blonde so she could wash it.

"Any good?" she asked her daughter.

"Si, me gusta a lot."

"Why don't you go wake up Amelia while I clean up honey? I'm sure she'll be happy to see your pretty face."

"Okay!" Sofia said cheefully, now definitely woken up and climbed down her stool.

"Wash your hands first, baby though," Arizona warned.

"Si mommy," the little Latina scattered away and the blonde heard water running down emanating from the bathroom. Thirty seconds later, the water stopped and Sofia ran out of the room towards Amelia's, "AMELIA! WAKE UP AHORA! MOMMY MADE PANCAKES! I'MMA EAT 'EM ALL!" and with that she hopped on the brunette's bed, half landing on the very groggy and confused neurosurgeon and half on the covers.

"Huh!" Amelia cried out in pain, being suddenly effectively waken up from deep slumber. "Careful with your landing Sof," she said in one breath.

"Pardonamé," she said with a toothy grin, putting her face really close to the adult one. That kid had no idea of what personal space was, it seemed. "Me and Mommy made pancakes," she sat on Amelia's belly on the covers.

"You did?"

"Huh-huh" Sofia nodded proudly.

"A little birdie tells me that mommy actually made the pancakes while Sofia licked the bowl," she smirked and her hands softly tickled the kid's sides.

"I was hungry," Sofia giggled and wiggled, trying to get away from her tickling fingers. "'MELIA!"

"What, Sof'?" Amelia said playfully.

"ST-STOP!"

The adult pretended to not understand, her eyebrows furrowing. "What was that? I didn't quite understand."

"UN-UNCLE!" the little Latina let herself fell onto her side next to the brunette, her knees bending into her chest to protect herself.

Happy to see the little girl's joyful smile and her warm deep chocolate eyes sparkling with their usual liveliness, Amelia stopped and dropped a kiss onto her forehead.

"How about you start setting the table? I'll be right out to help you."

The kid sprinted back from where she came from before Amelia could attack her again, her hair flying all around wildly, "MOMMY, SHE UP!"

The brunette chuckled at the six years old's behavior and got up, happy about the prospect of pancakes. She quickly grabbed her sleeping attire and went to the kitchen, finding Sofia already sitting at the table and Arizona in the kitchen, pouring coffee into mugs.

"I do not remember agreeing to being awoken by a screaming monster and being kneed in the stomach first thing in the morning when you proposed me to move in," Amelia said pointedly to the blonde as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Sorry, I asked her to wake you up. I had no idea she was going to do that," she bit her bottom lip, trying her hardest to stifle her upcoming laugh.

"Mmmh-mmh," the other woman could easily tell the blonde was definitely entertained by her daughter's behavior but was trying her best to not show it. Arizona handed her a coffee mug in lieu of apologies, which she eagerly accepted. "The kid's lucky she's stinking cute."

* * *

"You heard that too?" Amelia asked as she tied her robe around her midsection.

Some weird noises had woken her up, so after a few moments of wondering what the hell it could be, she had decided to just get up and investigate. Barely had she opened her door, she saw Arizona's opening and a sleepy blonde in her pajamas coming out in the corridor.

"It's probably just Sofia having a nightmare," she rubbed her eyes, trying hard to push the sleepiness away. "Sorry she woke you up. Go back to sleep, I've got it."

Amelia felt a little weird and guilty to let her friend go and take care of Sofia. Somehow, she wanted to help. The idea of Sofia feeling sad and in pain made her heart squeezed in her chest uncomfortably. That kid was such a bundle of joy and rainbow, Amelia wanted to help but she wasn't really sure if it was appropriate. So she asked, bashfully, "It's okay, it's not her fault. Can I uh- help in any way?"

The reassuring smile her roommate gave her in return put her more at ease. "Sure," the blonde motioned to follow her and walked up to her daughter's room.

Arizona knocked, not really waiting for an answer and opened the door. The dimly light from the hallway gave her just enough light to spot the switch of the nightstand lamp. Once it was on, it became rather clear to both adults that Arizona's assumption that her daughter was having a nightmare was unfortunately right.

The little brunette was trashing in her bed, her sheets long gone and now pooling on the floor. Her features contorted themselves with worry and apprehension, her whole body screaming fear. Arizona softly sat on the edge of the bed, her crutches falling noiselessly onto the sheets, her move deliberately slow as if she was scared it would frighten her baby even more.

Not sure of what to do with herself, Amelia sat criss-cross on the floor, her head at the perfect height to see the pain embroidered onto Sofia's face. She felt a shiver ran down her spine and something dropped into her stomach. She wondered for a few moments what Arizona felt like. She wondered if the worry and the nervousness cursing through her veins were the same.

"Do we wake her up?" she whispered.

Arizona nodded and her hands ran delicately onto Sofia's legs to shake them carefully. The neurosurgeon copied her movements, one of her hand wandered onto the little girl's shoulder.

"Sweetheart, wake up, it's just a bad dream," Arizona cued, her voice sweet and caring.

Again, Amelia followed her lead. "Sof, kiddo, wake up."

A few encouragements and shakes later, Sofia woke up, her eyes opened wide and Amelia could see the terror inhabiting her dark irises. Her trashing body finally froze, and the pediatric surgeon could feel the goose bumps running under her fingertips. Her little fingers clenched around the cuddle toy, like it was her lifeline. Her breath was harsher than usual, the throat felt dry and tight.

"It's okay, Sof. You're safe," Amelia said softly, her thumb tenderly caressing her arm protectively.

"It was just a nightmare baby. We've got you."

The sound of her mommy's voice seemed to spur something in Sofia. She sat up immediately and threw herself into her mother's arms. She hid her face into the crook of her neck, into her tickling blonde hair and heartening smell, a soothing mix between hospital disinfectant that never really seemed to come off and just plain motherhood. Tears swelled up into her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, her breath turning into a crying hiccup.

"It's okay sweetie. You're safe, I'm here," Arizona wrapped her arms around her baby girl, her hands strolling up and down her back to comfort her.

"Muy scary mommy," Sofia managed to get out between two hiccups.

"I know baby, I know," she kissed her forehead and then leaned her cheek onto her.

Amelia felt like an intruder. She was thankful to see that motherhood happening but at the same time, it brought her immense pain because it only reminded her what Mother Nature had deprived her of. She hadn't gotten the chance to have that. And it hurt, because it was absolutely wonderful.

Without even realizing it, her eyes started to swell up with tears too. So when a pager was heard, she was glad for the opportunity to simply run away and calm her nerves.

"I'm on call, it's probably mine," she said and got up. She walked out from her emotional breakdown as well as Arizona and Sofia.

"Can I sleep with you esta noche?" Sofia asked as she fisted her mother's pajamas top.

"Sure honey."

The brunette came back a few moments later and sat on the bed next to the mother/daughter duo, thoughtful to be careful and slow in her actions to not scare the little girl. She looked at Arizona apologetically and handed her her pager.

"I'm sorry. It was yours. 911."

"Shit," Arizona let slipped before she could help herself. "Baby, I'm so sorry but mommy has to go to the hospital."

"But you said- you said I could sleep with you," Sophia said upset and, even thought she understood it was important for her mother to go to work right now, it still sucked big time because she needed her.

"I know, I'm sorry. I wish I could baby, hold you tight against me so the bad dream wouldn't come back but you and I both know 911s are really important. Mommy has to go and for tonight, I need you to help me. You're going to be the brave and strong big girl I know you are and you're going to sleep in your own bed."

"She could sleep with me," Amelia's words escaped her mouth, she was surprised by her own outburst. But it felt weirdly right to at least offer. This kid was terrified and they were no reason for her to go back to sleep alone when her bedroom was right next door. Moreover, there was no way Amelia could sleep soundly knowing Sofia might be having another nightmare. Her eyes found black ones and she offered Sofia an uncertain smile. "I mean, I know I ain't your mommy but I promise you I have some mad cuddle skills. Like you're gonna love them so much that you'll never want to be out of my arms ever again. Also, I don't snore so that has to count for something, right? And the only monster I know is the tickle monster so we should be pretty safe."

Arizona chuckled and kissed her daughter's forehead. "What do you say Sof? Sounds cool to me," she asked with a supportive smile.

Sofia still seemed upset but nodded anyway. She liked Amelia and it was better than being alone, so why not. "Can we sleep in mommy's bedroom though?" she asked, her head still safely tucked onto the blonde's shoulder.

Arizona nodded yes at Amelia's questioning gaze.

"Whatever you want buddy," the neurosurgeon's hand squeezed her little thigh protectively.

Arizona kissed her daughter's forehead one last time and looked at her into her beautiful eyes with assurance. "You sleep tight baby, I love you," she whispered as her thumbs stroked her baby's cheeks. "Thank you Sheperd."

"It's nothing. I'm glad I can help. Wanna come over here, honey?" Amelia opened her arms instead of grabbing Sofia.

She knew it was hard for her, so she let her smell and squeeze her mother to bring her courage until the little girl was ready to let go. She scrambled out of her mother's embrace slowly and immediately wiggled her way into Amelia's arms, mirroring the comfortable position she was in previously.

The pediatric surgeon looked at Amelia, "Thank you so much. Call me if anything comes up. I'mma change real quick and then I'm gone."

"Bye mommy," Sofia waved at her as she walked out of the room, knowing Sofia was in good hands.

The adult scrunched up her nose, "It sucks, doesn't it? That your mommy can't be with you all the times."

"She saves kids' lives," Sofia said with a nonchalant shrug.

"I know, that doesn't mean it doesn't suck. I think you're really brave though. To let your mom go like this without any tantrum, it's very nice of you."

"Mama and mommy always say I'm muy courageous."

Amelia skipped the Spanish word, "Well, they're right," she kissed her forehead gently. "You know what would help it suck a little less?"

Sofia shook her head doubtfully but yet curious to see what the brunette was going to come up with. The neurosurgeon made a show of looking all around the room, as if to be sure no one was listening and leaned in real close to Sofia's left ear. They could hear the front door opening and closing in the distance, indicating that the blonde had just left.

"A hot chocolate," she whispered secretly with a playful smile. "What do you think, princess?"

Sofia giggled and nodded assuredly, "I think it would."

"Let's get going then," she kissed her forehead and walked to the kitchen, the kiddo protectively tucked into her arms.

She softly sat her onto the counter and then proceeded to put the milk into the microwave. She sat next to her onto the counter.

"Do you wanna talk about your nightmare?" she offered as she gently elbowed Sofia playfully.

"Not really. Just some big spiders, I'll get over it," the little girl shrugged and lightly elbowed her back into the ribs.

"You sure?" Amelia asked concerned, her elbow knocking Sofia a little harder and threw her balance off.

Sofia chuckled as she righted herself, "Yep."

She pushed the adult back more firmly and Amelia faked to topple over. Amelia came back up and just as her tickling fingers came in contact with Sofia's sides, the microwave beeped loudly and broke their little light-hearted bubble.

"You're lucky, saved by the bell," the brunette took the mug out and handed it to the little girl who took it carefully with both hands.

A hot chocolate later, both girls were tucked into Arizona's warm bed, the bedside lamp on and Sofia's cuddle toy in the middle.

"You know what my brother used to do when I was little and I had a bad dream?"

Sofia shook her head no.

"I used to go to his bed and he would always make place for me. Then he would take his flashlight out of his bedside table. He would light it up, pointing it on the white wall next to the door and we would make shadow puppets. Tons and tons of hand shadow puppets until I fell back asleep. I think I should tell you that Derek is bad it hand shadows. Like, really bad. One time, he made me laugh so hard that we woke our mommy up. Let me tell you, she was not happy about it," Amelia said good-naturedly and Sofia laughed. "Wanna try it?" she asked shyly.

The little girl nodded and Amelia searched around for a flashlight in Arizona's bedside. She turned it on.

"Okay, you ready for me to turn the big light off?" she asked. She didn't want to turn it off and scared Sofia, it would just be awful.

"Si, I'm ready."

Amelia turned it off and laid comfortably on her back, the light pointing onto the wall in front of them.

"Okay, here goes nothing."

The neurosurgeon made a few, terrifically bad, animal impressions. Sofia was laughing, obviously making fun of her poor skills. To Amelia, it was pure magic to see the little girl so relaxed and she felt weirdly proud.

"I thought you said your hermano was supposed to be the bad one."

"Hey!" Amelia stopped and looked at the child, a playful smile on her lips. "Constructive criticisms only, little Miss."

Sofia smiled deviously. "Well, the good thing is that you can only improve from here."

"It's not as simple as it looks," Amelia rationalized badly to justify her lack of talent.

As the night went on, Sofia's soft giggles turned into yawns as she slowly but surely wiggled her way under Amelia's arm. Lulled by her mother's smell, the soft voice and the protective arm around her, Sofia was quick to fall into a nightmare-free sleep.

She turned off the flashlight and switched on the bedside lamp, mindful of the little girl. Amelia quickly snapped a picture and sent it to Arizona, hoping to reassure her.

_Daughter out, sleeping like a little baby. Good luck for your surgery__. Amelia._

She eventually switched off the light and went to sleep. The neurosurgeon snaked her second arm around her and laid her head on top of Sofia's, the calming fake strawberry smell reaching her nose. Within minutes, she fell into Morpheus' arms.


	7. THE MIDDLE

**CHAPTER 7 – THE MIDDLE**

Amelia loudly put her tray on the table next to Arizona's.

"You need to start cleaning up after yourself," the brunette stated, in an almost bored tone as she took a seat next to her friend.

The other woman's eyes strayed away from her phone to give Amelia a questioning look, her furrowed eyebrows clearly indicating she had no idea what she was talking about.

Amelia took a bite of her salad. "Carol? I had to kick her out for you this morning."

The blonde looked at her half-apologetically. "I'm really sorry?" she smiled awkwardly and shrugged it off. "I got paged early. I tried to shake her awake but she was dead asleep. I thought she would, you know, take a hint and go out when she would wake up."

"You should be sorry," Amelia said firmly with squinted eyes and pointed at her accusingly with her fork. "She hit on me. Do you know how awkward that was?" she faked a shudder.

The pediatric surgeon chuckled at her tone. Then curious, she asked, "Did you flirt back?"

"What? No!"

"You missed an opportunity there, my friend," Arizona shrugged nonchalantly. "She has a very talented mouth."

Amelia glared at her. "Yeah, so I heard," she said annoyed, referring to the nonstop moaning from the previous night and took another bite out of her lunch.

"I bought you new ear plugs last week," Arizona pointed out.

"I didn't really get the chance to try them out. I had to sacrifice one to craft Barbie some arm floats so she wouldn't potentially drown dramatically in the bathtub during Sof's bathtime," her face scrunched in a way that Arizona could only describe as adorable.

"Of course," she chuckled. "We wouldn't want to be held responsible for murdering her," she said in a duh-tone.

"Exactly. I'm not a savage."

"I'm glad Barbie found her knight in shining armor to rescue her," Arizona joked and winked playfully at Amelia.

"Oh yeah, you have no idea," the neurosurgeon had a serious face on, her eyebrows frowning in just the right way to intensify the authenticity of her speech. "It was a real horror show that day. Two of the floating boats crashed straight into each other and," she paused dramatically, "would I have not been there, Barbie's hair would have ended up all wet, ruining her beautiful straightened hair that had taken her over an hour to achieve."

The blonde frowned. "Wait, Barbie wasn't swimming in the water? Why did she need the arm floats for then?"

"Fashion, duh," Amelia said. "You need some couture education, girl."

A loud laugh escaped Arizona, earning her a few stares from a few people near them but she couldn't bring herself to care. Amelia was pleased to hear her roommate laugh so carefreely and genuinely, Arizona really had a beautiful laugh. The brunette made a mental note to try to make her laugh more.

"I think you're enjoying your time with Sofia waaaaaaaay too much," Arizona charmingly smiled at her and with joyfulness sparkling in her eyes.

"Have you met the kid? She's the definition of cuteness overload wrapped in terrible jokes. I wouldn't resist her two minutes if I tried to," Amelia said sincerely.

"Yeah, she's kind of cute." Arizona replied pensively. "Totally inherited that from me," she joked cheekily and Amelia laughed.

* * *

Arizona came home tired as hell after her last draining surgery of the evening. She opened her front door and was surprised to find Sofia and Amelia still up, sitting criss-cross in front of each other onto the carpet in the living room, an opened bag of skittles sitting in between them. She stayed where she was, too scared to move and make a noise that would alert the two brunettes and disturb whatever was happening. She watched the scene unfold in front of her eyes, curious and intrigued. Sofia was clad into her pajamas while Amelia was still wearing her clothes, both of them giggling.

"Huh-huh, you want to throw it less high. Hight will come with time. You want to train to catch it first. If you throw it too high and you're not ready, it'll probably land right on your front teeth or gum and let me tell you, it hurts," Amelia informed seriously the little girl and threw a candy up in the air, catching it in her mouth as to demonstrate. "You try it."

And Sofia sure did. She threw a round candy not too high and quickly moved her wide open mouth under it, effectively catching it. "I did it!" she high-fived Amelia.

"See? Less high, more catching!"

"When the new day-care nurse said you had already taken Sofia home, I wasn't expecting that," Arizona said with a bemused grin, interrupting them.

"Mommy!" her daughter got up and ran to her to hug her knees. "Amelia's teaching me how to catch candies with my boca."

"That I can see, honey," she gently pushed a few strand of brunette hair away and bent down to kiss her forehead. She looked at the other woman as she scooped her daughter into her arms not without some difficulty now that she was six, "And she's also giving you sugar just before your bedtime so I guess she's the one tucking you in tonight," she said mischievously.

Amelia faked to be hurt, "I'm actually teaching impressive live-saving skills to your daughter, you should be thanking me."

"Can you y 'Melia read my story, mommy?" the brunette asked and let her head fall onto her shoulder, melting into her mother's caring hug.

"Sure baby," she dropped another kiss on the top of her head just because she could. "Go brush your teeth first sweetie and then we'll pick a book, okay?"

"Si."

The blonde lowered her back onto the ground and the little girl headed straight to the bathroom.

"Thank you for picking her up," she said to the neurosurgeon. "You didn't have to."

"Are you kidding? No sense into letting her in daycare while I'm over here. I can just pick her up and give you a hand. She spends less time in day care, I'm happy to have her here with me and you get to relax a little. Everybody wins, right?" The next few seconds of silence made her awfully nervous, her fingers started to play with the hem of her pullover. "Unless you didn't want me to? I'm sorry. I should have asked you first. I shouldn't have assumed, how stupid-"

She was stopped when Arizona took her hands to stop her from fidgeting. "Thank you," she said and the brunette heard the gratitude into her tone. "It was a very nice gesture of you. I appreciate it a lot."

Amelia gave her a small, tentative grin. "You're welcome then. I'm kinda in love with this rugrat."

"It goes both ways. She loves you too."

"Of course she does, roomie Amelia is a lot more fun to hang out with than arguing, making-me-eat-broccoli and waking-me-up-for-school mommy," she said playfully.

"Books!" Sofia walked up to them with about six books into her little arms, breaking their little bubble.

Amelia chuckled while the pediatrician's eyes almost popped out of her head.

"We're not going to read all of them baby," she knelt in front of her, eyeing her daughter's choices.

"Porque ?" Sofia frowned.

"Because it's supposed to be a bedtime story, not a read-until-the-sun-is-rising story. And Amelia and mommy are working tomorrow so they need to sleep too."

"Porque?"

"So we feel fine tomorrow."

"Porque?"

"So we can help our patients at the hospitals."

"Porque?"

Arizona knew that Sofia was trying to buy more time up by asking why constantly and after her day, the blonde didn't want to snap at her daughter. She was tired and Sofia was being irritating, but she knew her anger would be misplaced. So instead of letting her nerves win, she let out a slow breath. "Because they're sick."

Amelia could see the change of demeanor into the blonde: her shoulders tensing, her tired features, her controlled voice… Not really knowing how to help, she knelt next to her and placed a hand onto her shoulder, squeezing it in comfort.

"Porque?"

"Because they have a disease."

"Porque?"

"A lot of different reasons."

"Porque?" Sofia knew she was pushing it but she really didn't to go to sleep. She wasn't _that_ tired yet.

"That's just the way it is, Sof. Sometimes people have or catch diseases and we make them feel better."

"Porque?"

Arizona could feel herself withering.

"It's what we like to do. Just like you like to dance," Amelia said. "Now, it's time to go to bed otherwise we're all going to be tired and grumpy tomorrow morning. Mommy and I aren't going to be much fun to be around if we're grumpy, are we?"

"No," Sofia conceded.

"Then you gotta store the questions you have in mind for tomorrow mornin' 'kay? It's bedtime right now. Think you can do that?" Amelia asked.

The little girl nodded. "Si."

Arizona murmured her a thank you.

"Bedtime it is then."

"Alright," Sofia said clearly upset, her foot digging into the floor and her eyes looking down, but stopping her little game of incessant why nontheless.

Arizona was thankful for the brunette's intervention because she could feel her patience grow thinner and thinner with each new why. They followed her into her bedroom and made sure she was tucked in, her cuddle toy into her arms and her pacifier close just in case. She was using it less and less, not needing it anymore during daytime but on some nights, she simply couldn't go to sleep without it.

"Okay, which book munchkin?" the neurosurgeon asked as she laid down next to the little girl and the blonde sat onto the other side, her back resting against the headboard.

* * *

"Okay, I'm never giving Sof _any_ sugar again. Like ever. We had to read 3 stories. Three! She's usually asleep half-trough the first one."

Arizona smiled. "Serves you right."

"You're the devil Robbins, you should have stopped me when it was still time."

"What happened to teaching her 'impressive live-saving skills'?" Arizona replied teasingly.

Amelia silenced her by showing her her index. She took a skittle and threw the candy up high, catching it straight into her mouth. She then smiled way too proudly at Arizona.

"Okay, it's impressive," Amelia made her I-told-you-so face but the pediatric surgeon kept on. "Doesn't serve any purpose, but still impressive."

Amelia looked at the bag of skittles with an intense and quizzical look, "How many skittles do you think I can take fit into my mouth?"

Arizona laughed, "Until it gets absolutely disgusting or like, in general?"

But the brunette chose to ignore her sarcasm, instead her brows furrowed further in seriousness. "In general. I'd like to think I could do forty."

Arizona raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't seem like a lot. I think you could fit more."

"Wanna bet?" Amelia wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

Arizona rolled her eyes. "How come we always end up doing the dorkiest things all the time?"

"I _am_ dorky, that's just me as a person. But I'm also extremely awesome and charming, so you can't resist me," Amelia teased.

"True," Arizona giggled.

"So, I say forty. How much do you say?"

"I can't believe we're doing this."

"Come on Robbins, where's your childish sense of competition?"

Arizona grabbed the bag of skittles and after examining the size, she said solemnly, "Fifty-three."

"That's… precise."

"I play to win, ma'am."

"Closest one wins?"

"Wins what exactly?" the blonde asked.

"If you win, I'll do the ironing for two weeks. However, if I win, I want to see those pictures of young punk rock Arizona."

"Oh god, I knew I should have never brought it up. Remind me to never share anything personal with you anymore."

"Well, you did and I really want to see them now."

"Of course you do," Arizona sneered.

"Come on, two weeks without any ironing waiting when you get back from work. Think about that," the neurosurgeon taunted.

Arizona chuckled and let her head fall onto the back of the couch, letting it fall to the side to look at the brunette who was smirking at her. "You're the devil, Sheperd."

"What are a few pictures against two weeks of tranquility?"

"Fine, I give in," Arizona huffed. "Fifty three is my final answer."

"Forty two for me. Ready for it to get ugly?"

"As long as you promise not to puke afterwards, I'm ready."

Amelia started to put some into her mouth, Arizona counting aloud. At thirty, Arizona started to laugh because Amelia looked more and more like a squirrel with each passing candy.

"What'chu laufin' 'bout?" Amelia asked, her dark eyebrows knitted together and half of the syllables not making it out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry, you're trying to say something?" Arizona giggled. She only laughed harder when her friend pouted but ended up looking even more ridiculous. "You look like a baby squirrel, you're stocking nuts for the winter into your cheeks."

"I'ch not!"

"Let's keep going, you're at thirty four."

They kept on and on, and eventually, it appeared that Amelia could fit sixty one skittles into her mouth. And it did end up looking disgusting, she could barely close her mouth anymore. Even though she had just lost, Amelia fist pumped the air proudly. That horrible skittle game was just a pretext for her roommate to relax and it had worked, Arizona was laughing and her frowning eyebrows were long gone.

However, when the blonde took her phone out to snap a few pictures, she quickly got up and ran away from the camera. No physical evidence of her looking like this would ever exist. No way.

"I did not anticipate for it to take this much drool," Amelia announced as she came back from the kitchen with a big glass of water.

"Thank you for this piece of information I didn't want to know."

"My mouth and cheeks feel so weird," the neurosurgeon said as she moved her jaw and mouth to gain some sensations back into her cheeks and mandibles.

"I have to say, winning feels great."

"You do know I'm just going to wait until I meet your parents to ask them for those pictures, right? It's just delayed."

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me," the neurosurgeon dared and wiggled her eyebrows.

"You're never meeting my parents. Ever," she yawned. "I'm going to shower."

"British bake off is supposed to be on," Amelia motioned her head towards the television.

Truthfully, the neurosurgeon didn't really want the night to end. She was having the most fun she had in a while and she wasn't ready for it to stop. She liked passing time with her roommate and her daughter.

"I'll be quick then."

"Ice cream?" Amelia asked knowingly.

"You bet!"

Fifteen minutes later, Amelia heard crutches coming down the corridor so she got up and grabbed the frozen vanilla scattered with chocolate and cookie bits from the freezer along two spoons. She also took two glasses, one of white wine for the blonde and an orange juice for herself.

When she came back, Arizona was sitting onto the couch, a warm blanket wrapped around her. She laid everything onto the coffee table except for the ice cream that she put onto her knees, the spoons stuck upwards into it.

"Ready?" the blonde asked.

"Hell yeah! Put the goods on, Robbins. Time to unleash the pound of sugar and British accent."

The brunette quickly offered to wash the dishes before going to bed since there wasn't a lot. By the time she turned the kitchen lights off, she had expected Arizona to already be asleep. So she was surprised to find her still up, standing into the corridor.

She spied the blonde for a few moments. She was standing in front of her daughter's room, staring at her with what the neurosurgeon identified as deep reflection and a hint of sadness. She placed a hand on her shoulder to not scare Arizona.

"You alright?" she asked with kind eyes and an openness into her voice that let Arizona know she could tell her anything and Amelia would still listen without any judgment.

"Maria died today. I had been following her since she was three years old. She has- had cystic fibrosis. She had big browns eyes and lashes for days just like Sof. She wanted to be a doctor when she would be a grown up so she could cure people with cystic fib. She was probably the happiest kid to be stuck into a hospital so regularly, even though it was only because she was getting worse. She was on the lung transplant list for eight months but she didn't get them, so today she died. I get to come home to my child and hold her and kiss her and then I get to goof my day off with my roommate. Meanwhile, Maria's parents are crying and can't sleep because their mind can't stop thinking about which coffin they're going to get for their nine years old daughter. So no, I'm not exactly alright tonight."

"Some cases get to us more than others," she gently squeezed her friend's arm.

"Every time it happens, you swear to yourself that it's the last time. That you won't allow other cases to get this personal again. But then a new case comes in and you just can't help yourself."

"You have to get personal, Arizona. They are the cases that make you grow. Your passion, your methods, your talent, your time… you give those cases everything you have and yet you get nothing back in return. They just leave you into broken pieces and no one can help you because no one really understands how much you gave of yourself, emotionally and professionally," Amelia confessed softly, all too familiar with this feeling of helplessness Arizona was experiencing. "So you heal slowly. You cry, you stare at your kid, you goof off with your roommate, you eat way more ice cream than you should… And when you're all patched up, another case comes in and takes you by the guts just like the last. We're surgeons, it's what we do Arizona. We see pain and we help, no matter what it cost us physically or emotionally. Because we don't matter, the patient and their family do. And we'll be damned if we don't try our best to help them."

Arizona's hand strolled on top of hers and gave it a tentative squeeze, to which Amelia replied by simply grabbing it confidently.

"Thank you Amelia. I needed it," the blonde said and Amelia could hear the sadness lingering into her tone.

"You're welcome."

"Is it weird if I ask for a hug?" Arizona asked with a small smile.

"Of course not, come here."

The brunette could feel Arizona relax into her arms. It had been a long time since she had been hugged like this. The only arms she allowed herself to sink in lately were April's. So it was nice to have someone else. Someone who understood what was happening and was ready to just hold her when she needed without questioning it.

She missed that.

She missed having someone to come home to and kiss and hug and love. Of course, she had her daughter and Sofia was more than enough to fill her with joy. But it would be nice to have a partner too instead of a string of one night stands. One night stands were fun and all but when the morning came, though they left her sated, they also left her alone.

So it was good to have a roommate. She didn't feel so alone anymore into her house. She didn't have to call April at two AM anymore because she felt down, she had someone she could talk to just across the hall. Someone patient and caring and open.

Amelia probably had no idea how easy she was to talk to and simply how… respectful she was. The brunette never pushed her to voice out loud her issues and feelings if she didn't wished to, instead offering comfort and her shoulder to cry on without any questions.

Amelia Sheperd probably was the best roommate Arizona could have ever wished for.

* * *

Arizona groaned unhappily as she heard a pager making itself known. She glanced at her alarm clock as she patted around to find the annoying device. Five fucking AM. It was too early to be working, she thought for a second. She groaned even harder when her hand came up empty and she was hit by the fact she had left her pager into the living room. She sat up, still half asleep and grabbed her crutches to carefully make her way to the coffee table into the darkness. She wasn't ready to turn on the lights just yet.

She let out a sigh of relief when it turned out to be Amelia's pager making all that noise. She swiftly turned the sound off before it could get even more offensive. Knowing her roommate wasn't going to hear it all the way from here, the pediatric surgeon went to her bedroom to wake her up, knocking softly onto the wooden door.

"The hospital needs you Sheperd," she said, not quite yelling but louder than usual.

She heard nothing, not even the slightest movement so she decided to enter.

"Amelia, wake up," she said, barely louder than a whisper as she felt around for the light switch.

A debutante mistake truly. She should have never done that, she should have known better.

Lights on, her eyes landed onto the sleeping brunette. Naked sleeping brunette. Covered-by-only-down-mid-butt-sheets naked sleeping brunette.

"Oh fuck," the words escaped her mouth before her brain could even filter them. Arizona turned around immediately to advert her eyes, her face flushed and her brain not coping. Since she wasn't wearing her prosthetic and was obviously distracted, she turned too fast and she fell down. "Ouch, fucking shit," she cursed to herself as she crashed loudly onto the floor.

On the plus side, the loud noise woke Amelia up. The brunette looked around, not really understanding why she was up at first until her squinted eyes landed onto the blonde form down on the floor cursing, her crutches lying down next to her.

On the bad side, Amelia didn't really _think_, she had just woken up after all. Seeing her friend hurting, she jumped into action, totally forgetting she was in her birthday suit.

"Arizona?" she ran up to the blonde and crouched down to her level. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? What happened? Did you bang your head?" she asked at light speed as she inspected the other woman all over, scanning her from head to toe for injuries.

"It's okay. I think I'm alright," she replied, her eyes looking everywhere but at the brunette.

The neurosurgeon tried to understand why she wasn't looking at her and that was when it hit her. "Oh, shit," an arm crossed against her chest while her other hand covered her genitals modestly, not with as much success as she would have liked. "Let me put something on and we'll check you out okay?" she grabbed a sleeping tee-shirt and put it on quickly.

"No, I'm okay. I'm good," Arizona said, clearly a little disturbed. "I just came here because the hospital's beeping you. I tried knocking but you didn't wake up and-"

"It's alright, Arizona," the neurosurgeon giggled. "Guess we passed a new step in our friendship, didn't we? Do you want help getting up?"

"If you don't mind," she replied, still embarrassed by the whole thing.

The brunette put the crutches against the wall before wrapping her arms around her to help her up.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she examined Arizona one last time, just to be sure.

"I'm sure. I just forgot that I didn't have my leg on and turned around too quickly."

"Are you saying I'm so ugly to look at that you had to turn around and protect your eyes?" Amelia teased playfully.

"What? No! Of course not! You're not ugly. You're far from ugly. You're hot, really hot. Like, if-you-weren't-my-friend-and-I-saw-you-at-a-bar-I-would-hit-on-you-hot. Except I wouldn't 'cause you're my friend," she added, confused by her own logic, her eyebrows frowning deeply. "Wait, I'm phrasing it wrong. I-"

The pager beeped again and Arizona handed it to her roommate.

"911."

"You better hurry then."

"Thank you for waking me up, blondie."

"You're welcome," she said with a small smile, still feeling a little mortified by what had just happened.

"Arizona?"

"Mmmh-mmmh?" the blonde looked at the other woman.

"I kind of need to dress?" Amelia said half-apologetically, half trying to hold back a laugh.

Arizona realized she was still standing into the middle of her roommate's bedroom. "Right, sorry. Sorry, still not fully waken up," she offered lamely and headed to the door.

"Zona?"

"Yes?"

"Sweet dreams," she winked at the blonde before closing her door behind her to get dressed.

Arizona headed back to her room slowly. She definitely deserved a good night of sleep after this.

* * *

"So, you think I'm hot?"

Arizona was scribbling in her patient's chart at the nurses' station when a cup of coffee appeared next to her. She looked up and saw Amelia smirking at her.

"Please, I'm already embarrassed enough as it is," Arizona blushed ever so lightly and the neurosurgeon could tell she was still somehow flustered in spite of her usual cheerful behavior, "Can we just forget about it already?"

"A lesbian complimented me, I'm not forgetting that," she said pointedly and then added smugly, "Plus you're right, I'm hot. Can't blame you for having good taste, can I?"

"Gosh, this situation is getting weirder by the minute," Arizona cringed.

"Arizona, you're the one making it weird! We're both two grown ass adults with functioning retinas. You think I'm hot, I think you're hot too. We're friends, it doesn't have to mean anything, okay?"

"Wait, you think I'm hot?" her eyebrows raised up almost comically high in surprised and her heart started to pound faster into her chest.

"Duh! I think the number of women passing through the house is a pretty good indicator that I'm right."

"See, now you're just making me sound slutty," she grimaced.

"Please, you're anything but. You're just enjoying yourself. Before I went to rehab, I used to sleep around with so many guys many guys that I couldn't remember their names half of the time. Now, that was slutty," she then frowned and said pensively. "God, it's been so long since I had sex."

Arizona was a little taken aback, not by the admission but by the fact that Amelia rarely talked about her past as an addict. The blonde was respectful and didn't pry, simply happy to listen to whatever her friend wanted to share on the subject. So she was glad that Amelia seemed to open up about it a little bit more, even if it was just to tell her about her terrible sex life at the time.

"Well, if you need someone to help you scratch your itch, I'm sure Nurse Thomas wouldn't mind giving you a hand. He couldn't stop making heart eyes at you during Misty's surgery last Tuesday."

"No, I'm not really looking for casual sex. I mean, it's nice and fun and I enjoyed it for a long time but I think I'm finally ready for something a little more serious. I'm emotionally and mentally stable now, I've been sober almost two years and I'm doing amazing career wise, I think it's time for me to get back out in the dating pool. You know, getting to know each other, sharing things together and eventually having sex. Not the other way around. God, do I sound lame?"

Arizona softly placed her hand onto her forearm and gave her a comforting squeeze. "No, you don't. It just makes you sound like you know what you want and that's good. You're allowed to want things for yourself, Amelia. You've worked very hard to get where you are today and you're allowed to want to share your happiness with someone who values you and loves you for who you are."

The neurosurgeon was astonished by the blonde's little speech. It held so much respect and care, Amelia couldn't even began to describe how accepted and esteemed it made her feel. She didn't really know how to express those feelings so she pulled the blonde in a hug, long enough to let her know how thankful she was but not long enough to make it awkward.

"I- thanks. You don't know how much this means to me."

"I'm just glad I could help," Arizona smiled widely.

"You're a really great mood upper and confidence builder. I can see why women want to go home with you," she said lightheartedly to diffuse her own inner tension.

"Fuck off, Sheperd," Arizona chuckled and bumped their shoulders together. "Can I make a totally unrelated suggestion?"

"Is it "wear pajamas"?"

"Wear pajamas, please."

* * *

Arizona and Alex were both sitting in the gallery, enjoying a few minutes break in between surgeries and sharing a bag of chips. They were watching their colleague Stark remove a benign tumor with Wilson's assistance.

Stark was dissecting the tumor wrapped around the inferior vena cava and abdominal aorta when Amelia whisked by. Intrigued by the two alone people laughing and gossiping loudly in the gallery, she popped her head in. She quickly recognized Karev and Robbins, probably on a break from the look of it and decided to join them. She could use five minutes of sitting down. She sat behind them with a loud huff, making both their heads turn around to look at the intruder.

"Sheperd," Alex acknowledged her with a mouthful in lieu of greetings.

"Hello Amelia," the attending greeted her much more cheerfully with a beaming smile.

Since they were both distracted, the neurosurgeon's hand sneakily stole their bag of chips and took a fistful of them before inelegantly dumping them in her mouth, not really caring about her grace at this very moment.

"Hey!" Arizona protested.

"Dude, I paid money for that," Alex said, being more disgruntled than truly angry and made no move to snatch his bag back.

He figured she probably needed it more than he did anyway, Jo had bought him a doughnut earlier.

"Tell Sex Machine over here that that's what she gets for keeping me up until the wee hours of the morning doing Maria," she said tiredly and accusingly, leaning back into the back of the chair. "_Some_ of us had an early shift."

"Maria? Blonde, almost 5 feet 8, nurse's aid in pediatric oncology, Maria?" Alex asked with an eyebrow raised.

"That would be the one."

"Nice Robbins!" Alex exclaimed proudly and held his hand high for a high five, which Arizona was happy to provide. "She's really kind. Always taking her time with the parents to calm them down and make sure they understand what's happening to their kids. And she's smoking hot. That tongue piercing must fe-"

"Gosh, you guys are a couple of horn dogs," Amelia interrupted with a theatrical roll of eyes before he could finish.

She really didn't care to know the end of _that_ sentence. Lately, she felt more and more bothered by this kind of discussion, the kind about her roommate's conquests. Moreover, she didn't know why she was feeling like this, which only added to her irritation.

"She is. I'm in a serious relationship," Alex defended himself and shrugged casually.

"Poor Wilson," Amelia commented and the blonde giggled. "So what are we watching exactly?" the brunette asked as she finally took in the operating room below them.

"Benign tumor excision," Alex and Arizona said at the same time.

They were all debating Stark's choice of scalpel blade when Dr. Bailey passed by. Alerted by the ruckus they were making, she leaned against the doorway to see what was happening in there.

"Don't you people have work to do?" she said flatly.

All three doctors suddenly got up, their conversation falling short and scattered away quickly.

"And please, wash those greasy hands of yours Dr. Sheperd before touching any of my patients!"


	8. SUGAR

**CHAPTER 8 - SUGAR**

It took Amelia a while to figure out why Arizona and she worked. Why she felt so serene and at ease around the blonde when it was so much harder around others. One could say they had just clicked or some other terrible cliché like that and, while of course affinity had played a big part, Amelia knew it wasn't sufficient.

Arizona and her… their relationship was all about respect and time and truthfulness. They didn't expect anything out of each other, instead taking in the other as they were, scars and trauma and all because it was what had shaped them into who they were today. It didn't have to be pretty, it just had to honest.

Amelia never asked about Arizona's marriage or the plane crash just like the pediatric surgeon never asked her about her panic attacks or AA. She never asked about the leg like Arizona never asked about the drugs. They accepted that they would get the information when the other woman would be ready to talk about it, if they would ever be ready. Moreover, the pediatric surgeon always seemed to know what she needed, whether it was a bucket of ice cream, some time alone or simply a hug, Arizona always offered and respected her choice.

Amelia couldn't remember when being vulnerable and open around someone felt so good. Oh God. She liked the pediatric surgeon.

_Fuck her._

* * *

April and Arizona were getting coffee at the cafeteria, chit-chatting as they waited for their beverages. Well, April was talking and Arizona was distracted. It was happening more and more lately. When the trauma surgeon noticed that the blonde had completely zoned out and looking at something behind her, she turned around and saw Amelia and Owen animatedly talking afar with their phones in their hands and goofing off. All things considered, April had spotted that Arizona's unusual sidetracked-behavior lately often coincided with the She-Sheperd being in the vicinity.

"Are you even listening to me?" the ginger snapped her fingers in front of Arizona's face and made an annoyed face.

"Sorry, I zoned out," Arizona had the decency to look apologetic at least.

"Yeah, I kinda got that part when you started pouring salt in your coffee," April said unimpressed with an eyebrow raised and a smirk.

Arizona looked at her hand and noticed that indeed yes, she had been pouring salt instead of sugar.

"Shit!" she stopped immediately and placed the salt back where it belonged onto the cart. "Well, here goes my first coffee of the morning I guess," she dumped it into the nearest bin, grumpy at herself for getting distracted.

"So, Amelia, uh?" the redhead said warmly with an encouraging smile as she looped her arm with Arizona's and started walking.

"Amelia what?"

"What's going on between you guys?"

"Nothing's going on."

"Oh, come on. You know you can tell me the truth, I can keep a secret."

Arizona was telling the truth. Nothing was _truly_ going on in between her and her roommate. She just had a stupid little teenager crush on her, that was all. Nothing to gush over. The blonde knew if she told her best friend about it, April would never let it go. She would bring it up constnantly and Arizona would only feel worst because there was no way in a million years that she would ever stand a chance with Amelia. The brunette was way out of her league, too smart and too sensitive to be with someone as damaged as Arizona Robbins. No need for April to beguile her with false hope and sweet dreams that would never see the light of day. Plus, Arizona was almost certain the neurosurgeon liked Owen.

"No, really," she insisted, feeling a little guilty but knowing it was for the greater good.

"Then you should tell her how you feel, otherwise nothing's going to ever happen," the ginger said pointedly.

"I don't have feelings for Amelia," she sneered, as if the idea was utterly wrong and hoped her friend wouldn't catch her lie.

"Sure you don't," April sneered back. "Come on, she obviously likes you too. Even I can tell you that and I'm like, really bad at picking up gay vibes."

"That you are," Arizona chuckled, knowing how much her friend's gaydar sucked. "I can assure you she doesn't like me. She likes Hunt."

"WHAT?" April stopped dead on her tracks, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"They've been hanging out more and more lately," she shrugged nonchalantly, as if it wasn't a big deal, as if it wasn't affecting her as much as it was. "He sleeps over sometimes."

"You and I hang out all the time and we sleep at each others' pretty often. Doesn't mean we like each other."

"Yeah, but it's different. I can see it in his eyes, you know? The way he looks at her. Like he just wants her to smile when she's happy and hug her when she's feeling sad."

"You mean, he looks at her the same way you do?" April said caringly, empathic of the pain her friend was obviously trying so hard to hide.

"Nice try, Kepner but you won't get me that easily. I told you, I don't have feelings for her."

"Okay, fine! You keep telling yourself that," her tone was exasperated. April would have understood if Arizona had just told the truth, that she liked Amelia and that she didn't wish to talk about it. She would have respected that. Instead, her best friend was lying through her teeth and the redhead hated that. "But don't come crying on my shoulder when eventually she runs into Owen's arms because you were taking too much time over thinking it," she said coldly before walking away.

* * *

"Dios mio! It's taking forever," Sofia whispered out tragically, her head falling backwards to look up at the ceiling with a roll of eyes and her arms falling to her sides.

She sighed loudly. Amelia and she had been waiting for the elevator to show up for a whole two minutes since she had pushed the up button and it was simply taking too long.

The brunette chuckled at the kiddo's impatient attitude and pressed the up button once more, even though she knew it was unnecessary. "You're the one who wanted to see your moms before going to daycare," she said pointedly, secretly pleased to have an excuse to see the blonde.

"Si, pero I didn't know it would take so much tiempo. We should have taken the stairs."

"Uh-uh," the neurosurgeon shook her head. "I'm not climbing up _five_ floors. I'm not six anymore."

Sofia let her body fell against Amelia's legs, popping her chin up against her thighs and wrapping her arms around them. "Fiiiiiiiine," she whined as the adult pushed away a wild dark lock that had escaped her hairdo behind her ear.

When the elevator finally came with a ding, Sofia let out an excited huff and dragged them into it, eagerly pushing the right buttons in. Amelia felt her heart throbbed at the cheerful latina kid. Sofia was absolutely delightful and she loved being around her.

Being roommate with Arizona meant having Sofia over regularly and, where some people might be annoyed at the prospect of having a six years old around so often, Amelia was thrilled. That child was funny and smart and passionate and adorable and she just couldn't get enough of her.

They had their dynamic down now. When Arizona would be working and Amelia wouldn't, instead of just waiting around in daycare, the brunette would simply take her home and babysit her. She loved passing time with the Robbins Sloan Torres family.

After her baby's death, Amelia had never thought she would want to be a mom again. Motherhood was beautiful but it was also dreadfully painful. And she wasn't sure she would ever be ready or strong enough to experience that ever again. She was too scared a ache like the one she had had to go through would sent her straight back to drugs and alcohol and one night stands. Into a blackness that would swallow her whole.

She loved kids though. She knew she was a great auntie and she loved her nephew and nieces dearly. And the more time she passed with Sofia, the more she realized her maternal instincts were waking up. Which were terrifying because she didn't want to acknowledge them. She wasn't ready to deal with them again just yet. So instead of dealing with them, she buried them deeper and decided to avoid them until she was mentally stable enough and emotionally strong enough to ask herself the right questions.

Sofia's hand slipped into hers and she was pulled out of her thoughts. The neurosurgeon looked down and the little girl was quietly singing in Spanish as she swung their joined hands. Once onto the fifth floor, they quickly spotted Callie and Arizona talking at the nurses' station. The neurosurgeon was kind of glad that they wouldn't have to search more floors in order to find them.

"Mama! Mommy!" Sofia shrieked happily and ran towards them.

The orthopedic surgeon turned around and her face was immediately washed over with happiness at the sight of her daughter. She grabbed her running form into her arms and twirled her around, making her erupted in giggles. After a few spins, she slowed down to a stop and both mothers kissed their daughter's disgustingly cute face all over.

"I think someone is drowning into all this love. Can you breathe okay, munchkin?" Amelia asked playfully.

"Sorry bébé, my schedule has been loco this week and I barely got to see you at all. I missed you," Callie confessed. She kissed her forehead and took a deep breath of the god-awful artificial strawberry scented shampoo her daughter loved so much.

"It's alright mamà. Yo too."

That was the moment Arizona's eyes landed onto what she was wearing. "Don't you look overly casual this morning," she teased Sofia.

Callie took a new look at her and a wide smile spread on her lips at her daughter's choice of clothes.

Amelia made an apologetic face, a small blush covering her cheeks. "Yeah, I'm sorry. She wouldn't leave the house unless she was dressed like this. I proposed alternative pieces of clothing, but nothing would do."

"It's okay, Sheperd. We all lose the fight sometimes," Callie reassured her.

"You're definitely the cutest cowgirl into the wild wild west, sweetie. I bet your friends at daycare are going to be jealous," Arizona cued.

"Te gusta my braids? Amelia made them!"

"You better like them, they took me forever to make!"

"That I don't doubt. You suck at hairdos," the pediatric surgeon taunted and her roommate playfully pouted and gently elbowed her into the ribs.

"You look very pretty, bébé," Callie said.

"I'm not a bebé anymore, Mamà. I'm six and almost a half," Sofia said far too seriously and held up six fingers.

"Siempra seras mi bebé," Callie said lovingly and Sofia made an embarrassed face.

She wriggled around, signaling to her mom she wanted to go back on her feet.

She firmly took Amelia's hand back into hers. "We have to go to daycare now or we're gonna be tarde 'Melia. See you mommies!" she waved goodbye at her parents and pulled Amelia with her as she walked them with confidence towards daycare.

* * *

Amelia wasn't really a light sleeper per say. She wasn't exactly a heavy sleeper either but loud noises or bright shiny light would without a doubt wake her up. Over the years, she had become accustomed waking up to her sisters arguing, the natural sunlight, thunderstorms, and as she grew older her pager, and more recently Sofia's soft cries from a bad dream. What she wasn't used to wake up to though, were moans.

Loud, definitely female, sex-filled moans emanating from Arizona's bedroom.

At first, she thought she was imagining it, that it was just a figment of her imagination but as a "FUCK, DON'T STOP!" filled the silence of the night once more, it became clear that she unfortunately wasn't dreaming.

Everybody had the right to a sex life. Arizona was smart, funny, attractive and so much more, it really wasn't much of a surprise for the brunette to see female strangers come and go when it wasn't Arizona's week with Sofia. The blonde was kind of womanizer.

And Amelia had known the blonde had an active sex life before she moved in with her. She had seen Arizona in action, had watched her flirt, had seen her go home with different women, she had even gossiped with her about them. Not that she was judging or anything. God knew she herself had had her fair share of one night stands. Amelia couldn't care less about the number of women passing through their now shared house.

What she hadn't anticipated when she had said yes to moving in was how loud they sometimes would be. She figured her roommate must be a beast in the bedroom judging by all the groaning and cursing escaping from there. She really shouldn't complain because most of the time, the sex was happening when she was actually working and if she wasn't and Arizona still got lucky, the sound level was usually okay-ish. Not too loud to keep her up but just loud enough to remind Amelia that her sex life was nonexistent at the moment and that her infatuation with the blonde was very much one-sided.

Since she had arrived in Seattle, she had kind of left her sex life aside, playing it solo rather than duo. She had come here looking for a fresh start, make new memories away from her old haunting ones. She didn't feel quite ready to go back out there for just one night. She had done that too many times to know it would probably end badly. As depressing as it sounded, she actually wanted to focus on herself for a while. To learn who she was again, what she wanted and needed in her life now that the only two people she had ever fallen in love with were not by her sides anymore.

Except she kinda had an idea of what she wanted, of who she wanted. And she was right across the corridor, making women all over Seattle quite happy with her sex skills. God, being sober and dealing with feelings absolutely sucked. She could totally use something to take her mind off hers right now.

Anyway, moans were the exact reason Amelia found herself staring at the ceiling right now, laying onto her back at almost two AM. For a moment, she considered moaning just as loud, in hope they would get the memo and then tone it down to a more reasonable sound level. Or maybe, she should loudly get a glass of water. The sound she would make would certainly alert them that she was awake and that they should be less vocal. Except she was too cozy in her bed and she didn't want to get up. She tried burying her head further into her pillows, but except almost dying from hypercapnia, it did little to deal with the real problem happening.

Vadgelina, because yes, if she wanted to make it through the night, she had to at least give that poor woman a name, was probably close to her third orgasm judging by the sounds of it. But who knew how many Amelia had missed when she was still blissfully asleep? Third was a good sign though, right? Third must meant it was almost certainly over and she soon would be able to go back to sleep, right? She felt like three orgasms was a fair deal.

So when nothing was heard after, she was glad and let out a sigh of relief. Amelia got herself back comfortable under the sheets and laid back onto her side and just as she was drifting off to sleep, she heard it.

"OH GOD! PLEASE!"

What had she done to deserve this?

Amelia entered Arizona's bedroom without even knocking the very next morning and jumped right onto the available space onto the left side of bed. She landed with a huff and the pediatric surgeon grumpily groaned instantly.

"Hello Don Juan," the brunette greeted far too cheerfully and poked Arizona's shoulder.

Amelia knew her roommate had the day off today so the other woman had probably planned a late morning in to get some good deserve rest after yesterday's workday and late night activities. Amelia felt like she kind of deserved to be awakened at the same time as her though. The blonde had kept her up until three AM after all.

Arizona grunted and rolled away from the touch, pulling the sheets higher and higher over herself until she was almost covering her whole face.

"Go away. I'm off today Sheperd," she complained grumpily.

"Oh, I know," she smirked and poked at her shoulder once more just to be extra-annoying. She let herself fall onto her back next to the pediatric surgeon, "You, lesbians, are so," she stopped dramatically. "fucking," another pause, "loud."

"Sorry," the blonde said apologetically and even with the sheets half-covering her face, Amelia could see a smirk forming on her lips.

Honestly, her softly-aching thighs' muscles and her still above normal serotonin level made Amelia's wrath worth it. Hannah was probably the best sex she had had in a while and even her roommate's cranky attitude couldn't weaken her good mood.

"I swear, this woman felt closer to God last night than she ever will at church. Please, tell me you're not planning on seeing her again," she pleaded and when she received no response, she poked Arizona again. "You're not, right?"

"I think someone definitely hasn't gotten some in a long time," Arizona teased sleepily and Amelia gave her a cold stare in return. She giggled, "No more Hannah, got it."

"You guys kept me up until three in the morning," she dropped a kiss onto her forehead and got up to get to her breakfast. "Oh and Robbins? You might want to consider covering up that nasty hickey situation happening on your neck."

"Will do, thanks," the blonde replied sleepily and cuddled back under the warm sheets.

* * *

After only a few consults, the neurosurgeon knew she needed another coffee or else, she feared she might fall asleep standing up. Moreover, her almost constant yawning didn't really scream professional ready to operate for seven hours straight so she stopped by the coffee cart.

"You look tired," Derek said in lieu of greetings when he appeared next to her in line.

"I hope you're better at giving compliments than this otherwise your wife must be quite deprived," she said sarcastically.

"I had almost forgotten how cheerful you are in the morning."

"Sorry, I _am_ tired," she said with a sigh and looked at Derek. "My roommate is having sex. Like lots of sex. With lots of different vocal women. And I'm happy for her because I know it was hard for Arizona to get back out there after Torres and the leg and the divorce and everything. But fuck, those women are so loud, Der. I could be standing right in the room and it would be the same sound level. I'm slowly slipping into sleep deprivation."

Derek chuckled at her misfortune and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders, pulling her for a side hug. "You can always crash home every once in a while if you want to," he dropped a sweet kiss onto her forehead and she melted into him.

"I might take you up on that. And to say I used to think you guys were loud. Meredith sounds like a lullaby in comparison."

"Annnnnnd, it just turned gross and inappropriate. See you later sis'," Derek kissed her forehead one last time and walked away.

Barely was he gone that Owen appeared by her side. "Hello Amelia."

"Hi Owen," she greeted back a small smile.

"You alright?" he asked concerned. "You seem tired."

"Yes. I just had some… trouble sleeping. Arizona had a date."

Owen looked at her confused, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. "What does that has to with your sleepi- Oh. You mean, date! That kind of date. Okay."

The brunette could see the faint blush tainting his cheeks as uneasiness took over him at the intimate subject. It was funny to see such a big and confident man shifting into a shy boy in a matter of seconds. Amelia almost found it endearing.

"Yes, _that_ kind. They kept me up until the wee hours of the morning so I'm a little off. Haven't stopped yawning since I woke up."

"Hi, what can I get for you two?" The cashier asked them with a warm smile.

"I'll have a double espresso please and he'll take…" she looked at the trauma surgeon with an eyebrow raised.

He was surprised by the offer but thankful nonetheless. "A medium black coffee please."

"Coming right up."

A few moments later, the cashier handed them their warm beverages and Amelia paid for them before Owen could even get his wallet out of his pocket.

"Thank you."

"It was nothing. You'll get the next one," Amelia shrugged and gave him a soft smile.

She missed the little glint of hope appearing into Owen's eyes at the mention of a next time. They started to walk slowly into the hospital, wandering towards the elevators.

"You know, you're more than welcome to come over if Arizona has a… a date. I wouldn't mind," he tried to act nonchalantly, hoping Amelia would get the message that really, he wouldn't mind having her over more period.

"And get attacked by a bear when I get out of your trailer?" she joked teasingly.

"I only saw one once and I think it was actually more scared of me than I was of it."

Amelia's eyes grew huge. "Dude, I was only joking! God, I can't believe you never told me. Do you know how many times I stayed over? I could have lost a limb. You're telling me you saw a _fucking_ bear and you keep on leaving into this stupid trailer?!"

"I like it. I have unlimited access to the woods, I get to hear the crickets at night, there's no neighbor to annoy me," he listed happily.

"Then buy a house near a woody area, you weirdo," she replied and playfully it him into the ribcage with her elbow. "I would hate to hear you've got torn apart by a bear. Plus, you could have a real shower so I wouldn't have to scrunch down every time I come over."

He chuckled, nervous and amused at the same time. His heart skipped a beat at her words, every time I come over. So, Amelia did plan on keeping on coming over apparently. "I'll think about it. "

"Definitely near a woody area though. Crickets' lullabies and no neighbors are great."


	9. THINKING 'BOUT YOU

**CHAPTER 9 – THINKING 'BOUT YOU**

"You do not," Amelia said sneering.

"Yes, I do."

"I don't believe you," she took one of Owen's hands into hers to inspect it closer, her look suspicious. "Your fingers are too… manly."

"What does that even mean?" Owen laughed on the stool next to her and pulled his hand back, sipping his beer. "I'm a surgeon, I'll have you know I have very nimble fingers, Dr Sheperd."

They had been sitting at Joe's for probably over an hour now. After their long shifts today, the trauma surgeon had suggested to her to grab a drink to unwind and the brunette had happily accepted. Amelia was currently nursing her first lemonade while Owen was onto his second beer.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so patronizing," she apologized. "It's just- you don't seem like the kind of guy who plays guitar."

"Why? Do I look more like a triangle kind of guy?" He teased playfully.

"Fuck off," she chuckled and gently elbowed him into the ribs. "I'm just having a hard time picturing you is all."

"Well, I'm certainly not the best player in town, but I would say I'm descent. Ask Robbins and Webber, we played a few songs together last Christmas Eve."

"Really?" she asked surprised, both eyebrows raising up.

"Yeah. You should have seen the kids. Singing along loudly, dancing hazardously all around the living room, giggling like crazies… It was a blast."

"How long have you been playing?"

"I taught myself when I was around fourteen, I think? It took me a long time to get it right though so my mother and my sister wouldn't stop making fun of me at first. Megan actually cut all my guitar's cords off one night in hope I'd stop."

"Dude, your sister was feisty," she smirked.

"She was, that's for sure," he chuckled.

The neurosurgeon turned onto her stool and her somber blue eyes met his. "Will you play for me? Next time I come over?"

Owen could feel the blush coming up to taint his cheeks so he quickly advertised his eyes onto his beverage, hoping the lighting wouldn't make his reaction too obvious.

"I-uh," the redhead cleared his throat to get rid of the hesitation in his tone and then said much more assuredly, "Yes. Sure."

The brunette was a little confused at the sudden change of demeanor and put a reassuring onto his right shoulder. "You alright?" she squeezed it in concern.

He took his gaze off his beer and swiveled to look at her, a sincere smile on his lips. "Of course."

When his lips softly landed against hers, his beard prickled her features and his breath tasted wrongly of alcohol. One of his hands delicately cupped her cheek. One minute they were bickering and kidding and the next, her best friend was kissing her out of nowhere, what was Amelia supposed to do? What was the protocol on this? She simply sat there, frozen in shock. Not moving, paralyzed by fear and astonishment, nor reciprocating Owen's advances, neither pushing him away.

Because it had been a long time since she had been kissed with such care and something akin to adoration. Recently, the (rare) kisses she had shared had all been urgent and rough so this tender altercation felt good. It made her feel appreciated for who she was as a person and not just her body. It was unfair, though. Owen may like her but she didn't like him back. Not the way he did apparently. She had a crush on someone else and by letting him kiss her, she felt like she was leading him on. Feeding him false hope that something was truly going on in between them. After a few moments, she finally got a hold of herself and put a hand on the trauma surgeon's chest, gently pushing him away.

"Owen, what's going on?" she frowned in confusion and her tone was non accusatory.

The redhead uncertainly looked at her and gave her a hesitant smile. "I-uh," he couldn't even finish his sentence.

Amelia's heart uneasily contorted itself in her chest. She knew this look. This hopeful, optimistic look that was on the redhead's features, the very one she was about to crush. The neurosurgeon felt extremely guilty about it, because she didn't want to. Owen was her friend and she didn't want to hurt him, but she couldn't bring herself to lie to him either.

"I'm sorry if I was giving you mixed signals. Look Owen, you're a great guy and I like you, just not the way you like me. I kind of have feelings for someone else. I'm sorry," she stated clearly and apologetically.

There it was. In an instant, hurt and disappointment took over his cheerfulness and Amelia wanted to take back her words.

"Oh, this is embarrassing," the trauma surgeon scratched the back of his head nervously, his eyes looking everywhere but at the neurosurgeon and he became fidgety. "You don't have to be sorry, I'm the one who jumped the big guns. I shouldn't have, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you didn't know," she was about to take his hand for a comforting squeeze but it suddenly felt inappropriate so she settled for his shoulder instead. "You're a great kisser, if that's any consolation," she said in hope to elevate the heavy atmosphere now surrounding them.

Owen chuckled, still visibly embarrassed. "It weirdly is. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"So you have your eyes on someone, uh?"

Amelia could feel the blush coloring her cheeks."I-Yeah. But we don't have to talk about it."

"It's okay. I mean, we're still friends, right? Just because I like you doesn't mean we can't talk about stuff."

"Of course we're still friends. I just don't want it to be more painful or difficult than it has to be."

"Don't worry about it, I've been through worse. And seeing my friend happy makes me happy. I'm sure whoever he is, he'd be lucky to have you."

Amelia could feel her heartbeat rising significantly faster and her mind was running a mile a minute. _He_. He'd be lucky to have you. It felt so wrong to hear this, but she couldn't really blame Owen for something he didn't know. Her eyes glared at her glass for the longest time, debating if she should tell him that he had gotten it wrong. He was a she.

She wasn't ashamed of her bisexuality by any means, she just wasn't very experienced with the whole coming out thing. The only person who knew was Arizona and it had been rather easy since she was a lesbian. She wasn't sure how Owen would react. He was probably going to be fine with it, he didn't seem to have any particular problems with Arizona or Callie or any of their other LGBT colleagues that she knew of. But she still irrationally felt a little scared. Scared that he would change his behavior towards her mostly. She didn't want him to, she loved the friendship they had built.

Then again, Owen liked her so their friendship was already stained, what harm a bit more of honesty could do anyway?

"She," she mumbled, still staring at her drink. She didn't dare to look at him as the words left her mouth, too afraid.

"Uh?"

"She. She'd be lucky to have you," she repeated loud enough for him to hear this time.

"Oh. My bad, I didn't know you were swinging both ways," he shrugged and to his credit, he didn't seem fazed at all by this new piece of information. "I guess I should have known, you do wear a leather jacket and an awful lot of plaids," he joked.

Amelia couldn't help but laugh. Just by this little note of humor, she knew they were going to be okay. "Asshole. They're ugly stereotypes. How do you even know those things?"

"I think I heard Callie talk about it one day. Or was it Alex? I don't remember."

"I-uh, Derek doesn't know. Yet."

"Okay," he looked at her seriously. "Do you plan on telling him?"

"Hopefully. I want to figure things out between her and me first. And if it turns out to be something serious, which I hope it will, then yes."

"Well, I hope it does. You're great. And I say that objectively, not because I like you."

"Thank you Owen. You're a really great friend."

"You're not so bad yourself."

* * *

Amelia was surprised to see some of the lights still on when she arrived home but she was happy because it meant that Arizona was still up. She quickly hung her coat and discarded her shoes before knocking onto her roommate's door.

"Come in."

Arizona was in her bed, pajama's top on but pants off since she was in the middle of massaging her limb with what Amelia knew was a muscle relaxant. She guessed the blonde must have been standing up a lot today. The brunette crawled onto the bed, facing the pediatric surgeon and sat criss-cross, her eyes transfixed onto Arizona's fingers digging into her thigh's skin.

"You're back already?" the blonde asked. "I thought you were hanging out with Hunt?"

Arizona had expected her roommate to sleep over at his trailer and to have the house for herself tonight. She hadn't anticipated that the brunette might be coming back home. Not that she minded, on the contrary. Spending time with Amelia was way better than alone.

"You'll never guess what happened," Amelia said to her instead, completely disregarding Arizona's question.

"What happened?" the pediatric surgeon asked, a little confused by the urgency in her friend's tone.

"Owen kissed me! _He_ kissed _me_! Crazy right?"

Arizona frowned. "What's with your face? Are you not happy about it?"

Over the last few months, she had watched them grow from acquaintances to colleagues to friend to eventually someone Amelia would confide into. While it hurt her to see them so close and to not be the person Amelia reached out every time, Arizona knew better than to be jealous over something she had no control over. Instead, she tried her best to be happy for her friend.

It was Amelia's turn to frown deeply. "What? No! Of course not!"

"Wait. I thought you liked him?"

"What? No, I don't! Not at all."

"You don't like him?" Arizona asked, her eyebrows still furrowed. She was taken aback by this new development but it only left her even more confused than before.

"As a friend!"

"But I saw the way you looked at him the other day when we were having lunch."

"Huh?" Amelia slightly titled her head to the side, trying to remember the moment the blonde was referring to.

"It was last Monday I think? I was eating with him and April and you kept glancing at him not so discreetly from your corner with Derek."

Amelia couldn't help but laugh. Like full on belly laugh. Arizona felt kind of left out because she was obviously missing something big. She racked her brain, trying to figure out what could be so funny, what she had missed, but came up empty handed so she waited for the other woman to calm down. After a few moments, the neurosurgeon finally wiped her tears with the back of her hands as her laughter subsided.

"That might be the funniest thing that you said to me all week and it's only Thursday. Oh my god, I can't believe it. You thought I was looking at him?" she asked, god smacked.

"Who did you kept glancing at then if it wasn't Owen?"

"You!" the brunette replied in a breathy chuckle as if it was obvious. "I was looking at you."

"Oh," then, Arizona realized what the brunette was implying and repeated, much more flagger blasted, "Oh."

A small anxious grin appeared on the neurosurgeon's lips. "I like looking at you. Like, _a lot_. In case you haven't noticed."

Arizona felt her cheeks grow hot and her heartbeat speed up, a big smile spread on her lips against her will and she bowed her head to hide it. Amelia had been looking at her all this time. Not Owen but her. Now that was a twist she had not seen coming.

"It's going terrible by the way. The looking at you thingy. Because every time I do, I always start wondering what it would be like to kiss you," her eyes glanced down to the blonde's lips before trailing back up to her eyes and half-whispered. "So I usually end up staring, thinking it over and over," Amelia bit in her bottom lip, her eyes flickering back and forth between Arizona's bright blue eyes and her inviting rosy lips.

The pediatric surgeon felt her throat go abruptly dry at the words and her every cell were tickling with desire and apprehension of what was about to come.

"May-,"Arizona's voice was hoarse so she cleared her throat, "maybe it's time you find out," her voice was croakier than she'd have liked, not quite smooth enough to hide her anticipation.

"Yeah, I think so too."

One of the brunette's hands flew to rest onto the blonde's cheek, her thumb caressing the skin back and forth as if it was the softest thing she had ever touched. She leaned in slowly, like she had all the time in the world, letting the pediatric surgeon plenty of time to stop it if she wanted to. Arizona followed her lead though, slowly leaning in – rushing felt wrong – closer and closer until their breath morphed into a single one.

When Amelia's lips met hers, Arizona couldn't help but let out a whimper of relief at the touch. It had been a while since she had been kissed like this. Lately, the kisses were rough, they were urgent and they were selfish. Arizona took what she wanted out of her one night stands and in return, she let the women take what they wanted from her.

Amelia wasn't kissing her like that. No, the brunette's kiss was slow and caring and gentle. It wasn't about taking or giving the other anything, it was about sharing their feelings. The pediatric surgeon felt her stomach knotting and her hand reached out for the neurosurgeon's neck to check that it was real, that she wasn't dreaming. Out of breath, Arizona pulled away but stayed close, pressing her forehead against Amelia's.

"I like looking at you too. A lot," she shyly smiled at the brunette.

Amelia smirked. "Understandable, I'm pretty attractive."

"And oh-so modest," Arizona said playfully.

"Shut up!" she swatted her lightly at her left arm and the blonde giggled.

"Make me? Pretty please?"

"Only because I want to, not because you asked me to."

"Sure."

Arizona took the lead of their second kiss, hoping to convey as much of her feelings as she could, wanting to prove to the neurosurgeon that whatever this new development in between them was, she was in. The blonde pushed the sheets out of her way and straddled Amelia, who moaned in surprise. Arizona took advantage of this to swipe her tongue inside Amelia's mouth and was pleased when the brunette let out an appreciative whimper.

While their tongues were making acquaintances with each other, the neurosurgeon let her hands stroll over the other woman's body. Her fingers hiked up the smooth skin of bare thighs until she reached a piece of fabric, the blonde's panties. Without hesitation, she cupped Arizona's butt with two full hands, not groping it as much as resting there and gently pulled the blonde closer. The hand onto her neck squeezed her delicately before Arizona pulled away.

"You're really good at kissing," Amelia said breathily, her eyes hazily searching for her roommate's.

"Better than Owen?" she kidded.

"Infinitely, there's no comparison," the neurosurgeon couldn't help but peck the blonde's mouth. Now that she was allowed to, she never wanted to stop. "Plus his beard was scratchy," she scrunched up her nose.

Arizona chuckled and rested her arms onto the other woman's shoulders. "Sleep with me tonight?" she asked hopefully.

"I'm not that easy, Robbins," Amelia said lightheartedly with a smirk.

"Oh, fuck off. You know what I mean."

"Shouldn't we, you know, talk about this first? Us?" a faint blush covered her cheeks.

Arizona could sense the nervousness radiating from the other woman, the small lip worrying she was doing and her sheepish voice were indicators enough. One of her hand wandered down Amelia's arm and pulled it to grab her clammy hand. Once their fingers interlaced, she brought them to her mouth and placed a tender kiss on the back of Amelia's to comfort her.

"How about we take it easy? It doesn't have to get all complex. I like you, you like me. Why don't we give ourselves a little time to see where this is going before slapping a label on it, okay? We don't have to rush into anything we're not ready for," her tone was calm and kindhearted which eased the other woman's worries away.

The brunette visibly relaxed, a huge breath leaving her body. "Sorry. It has been a really long time since I liked someone and have actively done something about it so I'm probably going to freak out a few times."

"You don't have to be sorry. I get it. Let's just go with the flow and do what feels right, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you."

"You're more than welcome. And it has been a long time since I liked someone too."

The smile the pediatric surgeon had been trying so hard to get back onto Amelia's mouth finally appeared, bright and beautiful. Arizona's thumb rubbed the back of her hand affectionately.

"So do you want to sleep here with me tonight?"

"Do I get snuggles?"

"Of course. And if you're lucky enough, you might be able to sneak a few more of those kisses you seem to like so much."

"Deal then," Amelia giggled and kissed Arizona once more. Her lips were so tender and soft, she'd probably kiss her all night long if she could. "Let me take a shower first, I smell like hospital."

Arizona un-straddled her so the brunette could finally get up. As soon as the bathroom door was close, Amelia broke into a victory dance. She had kissed Arizona Robbins. And the blonde had kissed her back. Multiples times. And they were going to sleep together. She felt like a lovesick teenager and could almost roll her eyes at her own behavior.

Arizona was the first person she had really clicked with, romantically speaking, since Ryan. She had feared she would never feel like this again. That she would never feel this excited and happy towards another person again. And sure, it was too soon to tell where Arizona and she were heading but the mere fact of knowing she could experience those emotions was amazing. It felt like crossing an important bridge.

As she got out of the warm shower, she quickly towel-dried her hair and suddenly became very aware of the fact that she had the habit of sleeping naked. She pondered if she should grab some pajamas from her room or not. They had just admitted to liking each other, nakedness might be a little soon, right? On the other hand, it wasn't like Arizona hadn't seen her body before and she was probably going to see it again rather soon anyway. But she also didn't want to weird Arizona out. Eventually, she decided to ask the pediatric surgeon instead of mind torturing herself.

"Hey," she said to get Arizona's attention, popping only her head through the doorway.

The pediatric surgeon locked her phone up and looked up. Amelia noticed she had put her pajamas pants back on.

"I need your opinion on something."

Arizona raised her eyebrows, confused but intrigued. "Fire away."

"Would it be awkward if I forwent the pajamas?"

"What?" Arizona's eyebrows raised comically higher.

"You know I don't usually wear them for sleep! They feel strange and wrong. But we just admitted our feelings and throwing my naked body at you might seem a little hurried. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I think you mean turned on," the blonde chuckled and Amelia blushed. It was cute to see the brunette make sure she was alright with it though, to care about her enough to ask. "It's fine Amelia, I don't mind. It's not like I haven't seen it before."

"You sure? I wouldn't want my hotness to keep you up," she smirked, her confidence back.

"I think I'll manage just fine, Dr. Dork. Come on, hope in," she uncovered the spot next to her.

Amelia got in happily, pecking her and then clinging to the other woman. She glued her front to Arizona's back, her nose half buried into blonde hair and half buried into her neck, her arm dropped loosely around the other woman's waist.

"G'night Zona," Amelia planted one last kiss onto the back of Arizona's neck.

"Good night Amelia," she replied sleepily.

A few moments later, Amelia muttered, "Can't believe you thought I liked Owen. _Owen_."

Arizona giggled as she melted a little further into the protective embrace.

Amelia unpleasantly woke up in the middle of the night, a pager beeping loudly into the silent room, effectively waking up both women with its urgency. Hands fumbled around to find their devices, silently hoping it was a false alarm and that they would be able to go right back to sleep – as if there was ever a possibility of that happening.

"It's mine. Sorry," Amelia huffed loudly. She kissed her roommate's shoulder and headed towards her chest of drawers blindly. She didn't want to wake Arizona up any further by lighting the room up. "Go back to sleep, Zona."

"'Kay," the blonde didn't need to be told twice and melted back under her sheets. However, the ruckus alerted her and she frowned, her eyes still closed. When it didn't stop, she turned on her bedside lamp and giggled when she saw what was happening. "Sheperd?"

"Yes?" she said, still exploring her clothes.

"This is my bedroom. Those aren't your clothes, sleepyhead," she replied, her tone amused.

Amelia's eyes popped out of her head and she looked, really looked this time, at her hands, not recognizing what she had blindly taken. "Right," she put them back in and closed the drawer with her hip. "No wonder I was having trouble figuring out where my pants were."

The brunette kindly yet tiredly smiled at the blonde and dropped a kiss onto her forehead. "I'll see you later. Get some sleep."

"Good luck," Arizona softly kissed her lips before shrinking her body back under the warm covers. "Don't forget to close the front door."

"Will do, boss," the neurosurgeon turned off the light and walked out as noiselessly as she could.

* * *

When Derek came in the next morning and found his baby sister smiling from ear to ear, he was glad. However, when he learned she had been here since four AM and still hadn't drunk a single cup of coffee or eaten breakfast, he got suspicious. Sure, her emergency surgery had gone well, but this wasn't her usual I'm-a-freaking-rock-star-neurosurgeon-smile. No, this was something else. The only time he remembered seeing her grinning like this was when- oh.

"Don't you look awfully cheerful this morning, Amy," he said in lieu of greetings, leaning onto his elbow next to her at the nurses' station.

"I am," she said with a warm smile, not bothering to look up from her chart.

"What's his name?"

"What makes you think there's a he?"

"You're smiling."

That got her attention and she looked up at him incredulously, "I'm smiling?"

"Yeah. Like cheek-hurting, non-stop smiling. So, who he is?"

"Nope, not telling you a thing," Amelia pursed her lips and closed her patient's file up, tucking it under her left arm as she walked away.

Unfortunately, her brother followed her, lacing his arm with hers. "It is Hunt? I noticed you guys have gotten rather close over the last few weeks."

"Don't you have patients to harass instead of your little sister?" she asked instead.

"My next surgery is in an hour, I have some time to kill. Does he work at the hospital? Do I know him?"

Amelia sighed loudly and gave him a pointed look. "Stop being meddlesome Der. I'm a big girl. I don't need you to hover over my love life."

"I'm your big brother Amy. I'm supposed to be over-bearing, who else is going to do it? So tell me everything, is he from the hospital? Doctor? Surgeon? Nurse?"

"Goodbye Derek," she said as she entered the ladies' room, knowing he wouldn't follow her in.

"You know I could just ask Robbins, right?" he shouted loudly to the door as if Amelia was still here.

Miranda, who happened to walk by, stopped on her tracks. "Talking to the doors now, aren't we? Do I need to find you a place on the psych ward, Dr Sheperd?"

* * *

"Hey stranger," Amelia greeted Arizona at the nurses' station.

"Hey, just who I was looking for," she flipped her patient's file close and handed it to Wilson. "Monitor Kathleen Glass closely and beep me if her saturation gets lower than 92%, okay?" she turned towards the brunette, "You got a minute?"

"Yes, Dr Robbins," and with that, Wilson scattered away.

"Yeah, sure, what's up? Do you need help on a case?" Amelia asked and started to walk along the blonde.

She opened the first supply closet on their way and pulled the neurosurgeon in with her.

"Nope. Just wanted to do this."

Before Amelia could ask what this was, two hands were tenderly cupping her cheeks and slowly bringing her closer until their lips found each other.

When she pulled back, the brunette looked surprised. "Oh."

"Is that a good oh or a bad oh? I can't decide," Arizona squinted her eyes.

Amelia tugged onto the pediatric surgeon's lab coat until she was close enough to wrap her arms around her hips. "Definitely good," she kissed her again, harder.

"How did your emergency go this morning?"

"Perfect. Your kiss from this morning truly was good luck."

"Somehow, I think the fact that you're one of the best neurosurgeons in the world has more to do with it," Arizona giggled.

"You may be right. I'm pretty awesome," she smirked.

"Did Awesome ever find her clothes this morning?" Arizona kidded.

"Fuck you," Amelia chastised playfully. "It was three AM and I was a little disoriented, okay?"

"That I did notice indeed. You look cute when you're all sleepy and tired by the way."

"Ah-ah! Jokes on you 'cause I look cute all the time."

"God, I'm in for a ride with you, aren't I?" Arizona asked rhetorically with a dreamy smile, her bright eyes looking at the brunette with nothing but care and fondness.


	10. TWO FEET OFF THE GROUND

**CHAPTER 10 – TWO FEET OFF THE GROUND**

"So I was thinking, you, me, bowling?" Arizona asked to Amelia with a charming smile as she leaned against the scan room doorframe the neurosurgeon was currently hiding in.

"Hello to you too," Amelia teased and took her eyes off the spinal cord tumor she had been staring at for the last hour.

The blonde was a welcome pause. She looked refreshed, her joyful smile was eating half her face and her hair was tied into braids, exposing her neck and jaw, much to Amelia's delight.

"Hi," Arizona replied with a sweet smile. "So, bowling?"

"Mmmh," Amelia put on a pensive look and stroked her chin between her thumb and her index, "Ridiculous looking and sweat-smelling shoes, possible foot fungus, putting my fingers into micro-bacterial hazard filled holes… Count me in," she winked at her.

"I knew you were a _dirty_ girl," the other woman joked back.

"Ouch. I'm not sure I want to go out with you anymore."

"Maybe a little persuasion could help," the blonde finally entered the room with a smirk.

She grabbed the brunette's scrub top, gently tugging her closer until she could kiss her. She leaned in ever so slowly, hearing Amelia's breath catching in her throat as she was getting closer and closer to her target. Her mouth landed on Amelia's tender lips and Arizona heard the softest sigh escaping her. The brunette's hands came to rest on her hips, her hold delicate as her thumbs caressed the hipbones sweetly. The neurosurgeon pulled away, her eyes fluttering opened a few moments later with a content smile on her lips.

"Are you trying to bride me, Dr. Robbins?" she asked, still so close that her lips caressed Arizona's with every word she was murmuring.

"Depends," Arizona asked teasingly. "Is it working?"

"Absolutely," Amelia initiated their second kiss, pressing her lips more firmly against the other woman's.

Arizona's hands snaked around her midsection and strolled under her scrub top to find the smooth skin underneath.

"Tuesday night?" the blonde asked breathily, her fingers started to stroke her lower back.

"You're on."

"I won't be home tonight. April asked for a girls' night and I'm probably going to drink and sleep over. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about, Zona. I have an AA meeting after my shift and then I'm supposed to be helping Owen out. We wouldn't have seen each other much anyway so enjoy your night away."

"You're helping Owen? With what?" her tone was surprised yet confused.

"Arizona, the man lives in my brother's trailer," she said pointedly with an eyebrow raised.

"I see your point," the blonde giggled. "Well, time to get back to work," she kissed her a final time before pulling away.

* * *

It turned out Arizona was pretty damn good at bowling. Like tremendously good. Fifty-four-points-ahead-of-the-neurosurgeon good.

"Okay, now you're just showing off," Amelia protested, throwing her arms up in the air in unfairness as the blonde hit her third strike in a row.

"I swear I'm not that good, that's just sheer luck," Arizona chuckled.

Amelia's childish yet adorable demeanor had been making the other woman's heart throb almost nonstop since they had set foot out of their house to head to their date. It was almost alarming this ability Amelia had over her heart rate, but Arizona was finding herself not wanting it to stop.

"Is it what you usually do to seduce your dates? You invite them here, pretend to be surprised by your good score to charm them when really, you just are _that_ good?"

"Damn, my plan is exposed. How am I going to impress you now?" the pediatric surgeon teased playfully and walked towards the brunette, snaking her arms around her neck.

"Don't worry. You keep me on my toes by just being you," the brunette kissed her sweetly and pulled away to take her ball.

After taking much more concentration than bowling should ever require to, the brunette threw the ball and unexpectedly hit her first strike.

"Oh my God! Did you see that!? Yeah me!" both of her arms flew high into the air happily with fisted hands and a huge smile appeared on her lips.

"Congrats!" Arizona cheered and kissed her.

"Do I get a kiss at each strike?"

"I'm afraid you're not going to get a lot then," Arizona joked.

"Good thing I don't need a reason then," she kissed her again. "Come on, it's your turn to play, bowling princess," she playfully slapped the blonde's butt before separating, feeling weirdly proud at the squeal it earned her.

In the end, Arizona eventually won with a lot of points ahead, but Amelia couldn't care less about who was first and who was last. As they exited the arcade, she hesitantly grabbed Arizona's hand, feeling embarrassed to even feel shy about something so simple. To her defense, it had been a long time since she had been in a relationship and shared this kind of intimacy. The only hands she was holding lately were either Zola's, Bailey's or Sofia's. The pediatric surgeon sensed her nervousness so she intertwined their fingers together and gave her a confident squeeze.

"I know that I'm a great surgeon and that my hands are costly but I'm not exactly made of glass, Sheperd," Arizona teased her playfully, her eyes shining with warmth and care.

Amelia felt a blush creep up onto her cheeks and tried to fight off the grin that threatened to appear on her lips by biting her lower lip.

"You're cute when you do that, you know?"

"Do what?" the brunette asked, her brows furrowing.

"Biting your lip. Makes me want to kiss you," the blonde tilted her head towards the other woman and leaned in, Amelia meeting her halfway for a peck.

"Remind me to do that more often then."

* * *

"There's supposed to be this obscure documentary tonight on HBO, do you want to join me?" the blonde asked once they were back home.

"Can't get enough of me?" Amelia winked at her, but the small question made her squeal inside.

"Nope. Come here," Arizona hooked her index finger into Amelia's pants belt loop and slowly pulled her closer.

She placed a delicate kiss onto her lips but it quickly turned into more when Amelia swiped her tongue across her lower lip. A moan escaped her and the neurosurgeon made the most of it by swirling her tongue inside to meet Arizona's. She felt one the blonde's hand tangling into her hair, her short nails gently scrapping at her scalp as she tried to take the lead of the kiss. Amelia's hands strolled down the other woman's back until she reached her butt, resting her hands on it. She didn't know what it was about the blonde's ass but she just wanted to feel it in her hands.

"Is there any way this documentary can involve a good old snuggle session?" Amelia asked breathily after pulling away, her eyes still closed as she silently willed the small fire into the pit of her stomach to calm down.

"I'll do you one even better," Arizona said. "How about we change into comfy clothes and throw some ice cream into it too?"

"Damn, I love dating you," she squeezed the blonde's butt and pulled away. "Time for sweatpants it is!"

When Amelia came back out of her room, the pediatric surgeon was already sitting onto the couch dressed into her pajamas and her face free of any make up. Sitting onto the coffee table were two wine glasses along a bucket of ice cream with two spoons sticking upwards. Seeing the crutches leaned near her, Amelia guessed she had taken her prosthetic off. Arizona didn't see the point in having it on since they were just relaxing anyway and Amelia seized the opportunity to sit as close as she could to her. She grabbed the cold ice cream and snuggled back, a whisk of her perfume coming to tingle the other woman's nose.

"You smell nice," Arizona confided with a mouthful.

"You feel nice," the brunette fired back without missing a beat, a shy smile on her lips.

"Happy to know I'm a good pillow," she joked lightheartedly, ignoring the butterflies erupting in her stomach at the kind words.

"Fuck you, you know what I meant," Amelia said childishly with a pout and took a spoonful.

"You got a little ice cream on your face."

"Here?" she asked goofily as she wiped her forehead. "Is it gone?"

"Not in the slightest," Arizona chuckled but before she could do anything, the neurosurgeon wiped her cheek.

"What about now?"

"You're a dork, you know that?" she softly brushed her thumb under Amelia's lower lip, effectively removing the food, and brought it up to her lips. "Here, all cleaned up."

"Thanks," she let her head fall onto her shoulder and then confessed, "I had a really great time tonight. Even though I suck at bowling apparently."

"Me too. I haven't laughed this much in a long time," Arizona dropped a kiss onto Amelia's forehead. "Sleep with me tonight?"

"I don't sleep on the first date, Robbins," she answered teasingly.

"You know what I meant," Arizona rolled of eyes.

"I'd love to," Amelia tenderly kissed her neck and cuddled back, sighing happily.

The blonde's arms tightened around her, the neurosurgeon's hand came to soothingly rub her back and Arizona couldn't remember the last time she had felt like this, this happy and this cared for.

* * *

"Amelia? What are you doing here? I thought your shift only started this afternoon," Arizona asked surprised as the brunette in question entered her office.

A smile spread on her lips almost instantly as Amelia walked in, closing the door behind her. She lighted up the room by her mere presence. Since they had agreed to explore their growing feelings, both women seemed to bump into each other a lot more around the hospital.

The last three weeks had been filled with hidden kisses from inside supply closets, more coffee encounters than they cared to recall and a lot more shy PDAs than before. They stayed discreet, as they didn't want anyone to meddle with whatever was emerging in between them, but they were still thoughtful to arrange some time to share a few moments together, especially when their shifts meant they wouldn't see each other at home.

At home, the surgeons had decided to lean fully into the whole "go with flow" and "do what feels right" thingy as long as it wasn't Sofia's week. Not that her presence brought a whole lot of changes, they simply were careful to kiss each other on the cheeks instead of the lips, but otherwise their routine stayed pretty much the same. It came to an evidence to protect the Latina from getting too emotionally attached to Amelia, in case it didn't work out. Meanwhile, even though Amelia was still her mommy's friend and her roommate in the child's eyes, it allowed them to keep on growing closer.

They had drawn a line at their sleeping arrangements. Both had agreed that being roommates, colleagues and kind-of-dating all at once might get a bit much and thus spending the nights apart allowed them some time for themselves.

So far, everything had been going perfectly and Amelia still couldn't believe that a woman so out of her league such as Arizona was romantically interested in her, but she wasn't about to stop her that was for sure.

"It does. I'm not really here," the neurosurgeon said as she took a sit on top of her desk, right in front of the pediatric surgeon.

"What do you mean?" Arizona frowned.

"Believe it or not, I woke up extra-motivated this morning and I cooked lunch. Since it's sunny for once I thought we could do lunch at the park?"

"That sounds wonderful."

"Plus, no prying eyes out of the hospital which means we can kiss all we want without hiding," Amelia smirked and leaned in closer and closer until her lips met the pediatric surgeon's.

"That sounds even better," Arizona chuckled against her lips and kissed her once more. "Let me wrap up this paperwork and I'm all yours."

* * *

"Wow, you truly thought of everything," Arizona exclaimed as Amelia laid down a wide blanket onto the grass.

"I'm smart like that," Amelia said smugly yet playfully with a nonchalant shrug.

"Of course," Arizona played along with a wide smile.

While the neurosurgeon's confidence could sometimes make her seem arrogant, Arizona knew she wasn't. Amelia knew what she was capable of and she was self-assured, yet she knew her limits and when to reach out for help. The blonde couldn't help but find this personality trait extremely attractive.

The neurosurgeon settled the basket onto a far corner and once sat down, she offered a hand to the blonde who gladly took it and carefully sat down next to her.

"I know you don't like sandwiches so I threw a salad together," she took out some cutlery and Tupperwares out for them.

"You're the best," Arizona kissed her cheek. "How was Sofia last night?"

"She was perfect as always. We spent most of the evening playing dollies and then we played school. She even taught me some Spanish and I taught her some German."

"Huh? You speak German?" Arizona raised an eyebrow, more impressed or surprised, she didn't know yet.

"I can speak broke-ass German would be a more accurate statement," Amelia giggled. "But yeah, that's the general idea, mein Schatz."

"Mmh, German sounds sexy," she whispered against Amelia's lips and kissed her.

She could feel Amelia giggling into the kiss and pulled away with a puzzled look.

"German is the least sexy language ever. I think you must be broken," Amelia suggested playfully.

"Maybe it's just you then," she replied sweetly and stole another kiss, just because she could.

"Must be," Amelia mumbled and kissed her again, more firmly this time.

"You know, between Spanish and German, I'm going to end up having to use Google translate to communicate with my own daughter," she kidded.

"What do you think I'm using when she has trouble finding her English words and you and Callie are not around?"

Arizona giggled. "Good thing she's teaching you then."

"You better watch out Robbins, because soon I'll be at your level," she challenged teasingly.

A serious dent into their food later, they laid around in their food coma, happy to peacefully sunbath for as long as they could before having to head back to the hospital and be thrown back into surgeries and crazy cases. Amelia could feel Arizona's eyes on her so she poked one eye open to see if she was right. It turned out she was, the pediatric surgeon was looking at her, a lingering smile on her lips and she was obviously lost in her thoughts, her bright blue eyes trained onto her face. Her silky blonde hair was floating around due to the light breeze and the brunette thought she looked every bit the angel she was in this very moment. A little stalker-ish perhaps, but angelic nonetheless.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?"

The question pulled Arizona out of her trance and a mischievous look took over her features. "Penguins."

"Oh really?" Amelia laughed, an eyebrow raised.

"Yep," the blonde argued proudly, her eyes coming alive with playfulness.

"Our little Antarctic friends are giving you with an awfully dopey smile, I must say."

"What can I say? They're so adorable. They act all tough but inside, they're really just big softies. They hug all the time," Amelia felt her stomach twist happily, knowing Arizona was not talking about the birds, "They're tiny."

"I'm not tiny!" she argued.

"You're tinier than me," Arizona pointed out.

"Barely. Just an inch."

"Tomato, tomatoe," the blonde shrugged and cuddled up closer, her arm resting around Amelia's waist pulling her closer. "You're the perfect size to snuggle with and that's the most important thing."

"Nice save, Robbins," Amelia faked a septic look and dropped a kiss onto her forehead. "You look beautiful today by the way. Your eyes are even more gorgeous than usual."

Arizona chuckled. Count on Amelia to compliment her when she had passed all but two minutes putting on a decent face this morning in hope to look a little more alive and not scare the tiny humans and their parents away.

"Thanks, Amelia. That's the special thirty fifth hour shift glow."

"I'm being serious," she pouted. "You look very pretty."

"You don't look too bad either," the blonde looked up to see Amelia's face, honesty written on her features as she squeezed her hip tenderly.

Amelia tilted her head and gave her a sweet smile. "Have you seen you? I gotta try to measure up."

"Sweet talker."

"Only for you mi lady," she said with a terrible fake English accent. "Come on, it's time to head back to work."

Arizona let out a sullen sigh. "Do we have to?"

"Do you like having a salary?"

"Fine."

They quickly cleaned everything up, mindful to not leave any junk behind. Amelia insisted on carrying everything instead of splitting.

"Would you do me the pleasure of holding my hand while I escort you safely back to the hospital?" Amelia asked as she extended her hand to her roommate/friend/hopefully-soon-to-be-girlfriend.

"You're such a dork," Arizona giggled but took it nonetheless, interlacing their fingers together.

The more days passed, the more Arizona was impressed by how easy their relationship was evolving. Each day, she would learn something new about the brunette or see a new side of her that she hadn't witnessed yet, and each day, she felt her heart go a little crazier inside her chest. The more time they passed together, the more Arizona found herself not wanting to pass time away from her. She wanted to know as much as she could about the mesmerizing and complex human being that was Amelia Sheperd.

"But you like me," the neurosurgeon teased, biting her bottom lip.

"I do," she affirmed decisively, leaving no place for doubt and gave her a confident hand squeeze.

"I like you too," Amelia sported a goofy smile onto her face.

"Good," the blonde sneaked one last kiss. "Come on Dr Sheperd, let's go save some lives."

* * *

Between their pagers, their weird shifts and trying to stay discreet, Arizona felt like her and Amelia were playing seven minutes in heaven these last few days. So when the pediatric surgeon opened the attending's room, she was more than happy to find Amelia sitting in there all by herself, filling up charts.

"Oh, hello there stranger."

The neurosurgeon looked up from her file and a beaming smile appeared on her lips when her eyes fell onto the other woman. "Hey you!"

The blonde fixed herself some coffee with sugar in a mug before allowing herself to fall next to the neurosurgeon onto the couch, her head falling on the other woman's shoulder instantly and her eyes fluttering shut as she breathed in the soothing smell emanating from her. The brunette's arm fell around her shoulders when her hand came to slowly caress her hair, Arizona almost fell asleep there and then.

"You look dead tired," Amelia provided and kissed her forehead.

"I _feel_ dead tired. I can't wait to go home and fall asleep on your boobies," the blonde mumbled dazedly.

"You're cute when you're sleepy," Amelia giggled. "Only one surgery left for you right?"

"Yeah. That is if Bridget Sleater doesn't go into labor otherwise I'll have to stay here tonight so I can operate on her newborn right away."

"Women need to stop making babies like it's going out of style. They're stealing you away from me," the neurosurgeon pouted.

"Don't worry. Ain't no baby I see here at work more important than my two babies waiting for me at home," Arizona reassured and softly kissed the pout away.

"I thought I was supposed to be the dorky one."

"That wasn't dorky, that was romantic."

"Are you saying I'm not romantic?" the brunette faked a hurt tone, looking appalled.

"No! Of course you are! But you're a dorky romantic. Which is the best kind of romantic 'cause it means you're always making me laugh and are absolutely adorable doing it," Arizona smiled widely at her.

Amelia could see her vibrant blue eyes sparkling with care and their usual cheerfulness. She felt her stomach knotting under her gaze and her teeth sank into her lower lip, trying to contain the smile that was threatening to split her face in two.

* * *

Derek was passing by daycare when something caught his eyes. He slowed down and eventually came to a stop, his eyes never leaving the scene unfolding in front of him, his eyebrows furrowed and his hands on his hips.

Sofia was bouncing onto his sister's knees, both of them actively completing a puzzle and talking animatedly. He couldn't hear what they were saying but the little Latina wouldn't stop giggling and Amelia wouldn't stop grinning. Amelia tried to put a piece in the wrong place and happily let the child correct her, beaming as she did so. When Sofia eventually put the last piece in, the neurosurgeon kissed her forehead and offered her a high five, which Sofia eagerly clapped.

Since she had moved out of his house, Derek had noticed Amelia seemed happier. She was smiley-er, more peaceful and more positive than he had seen her in a while and he was extremely happy to see his baby sister blooming. Especially those last few weeks, and he couldn't help but feel like it had something to do with Owen Hunt and the growing time the two of them had been spending together.

Arizona walked in, holding Sofia's coat and backpack up and helped her to put it on.

Derek missed the way his sister's eyes shined brighter when Sofia took their hands into her tiny ones. He missed the way Amelia's smile grew significantly brighter when Arizona kissed her cheek. He missed the loving look his sister gave the pediatric surgeon in return.

* * *

Amelia finished washing her hands and checked one last time the temperature of the oven before joining her two favorite people in the backyard. She leaned against the patio door, happy to look at the daughter-mother duo. There was something magical about seeing them interact together. To witness their mutual love into its natural state, it was absolutely captivating.

Apparently, this evening they were playing cosmonauts. They were walking weirdly and slowly, as if gravity was working differently onto whatever pretend planet they were supposed to be on, and doing fake-jump walking. Every once in a while, they stopped, pretending to have found something interesting onto the ground. The best part though, the part that made it hard for Amelia to not burst into laughter until her abs hurt, was their "astronaut outfits". Sofia and Arizona had surgical masks on, which were way far too big for Sofia, a surgical cap and some big NICU pink over-scrubs that she didn't even know they owned to begin with. She quickly snapped a picture, deciding immediately this was her new background picture.

"Commander Robbins-Sloan-Torres! I think I found some piece of a comet over here!" Arizona said as she picked up a dirt-covered little rock out of the ground.

"Don't move! I'm coming to you with my microscope thingy, Astronaut Robbins!" Sofia replied and she moved deliberately weirdly towards her mommy.

When she was closed enough, the blonde knelt. "What do you think?"

"Looks like a comet," Sofia pretended to examine the rock over with great focus, worrying her chin between her thumb and index and furrowing her eyebrows. "We should bag it and take it back to the rocket to show it to our researchers once we'll be back on la Tierra."

"Good call," Arizona played along, pretending to bag it but instead throwing the rock over her right shoulder.

"Let's explore this side of the Moon, we haven't been yet! Maybe we'll find aliens!" Sofia pointed towards the weeping willow.

"So I leave to cook dinner for twenty minutes and you guys go searching for aliens without me?" Amelia teased as she finally joined them.

They both turned around to see Amelia pouting and Sofia broke her act immediately.

"'Melia!" she ran towards the brunette who caught her. "Do you want to help mommy and me find aliens?"

"Do I have to dress like this?" Amelia said with a chuckle.

"Vale, you can't chase alien dress like that. You at least need a helmet," Sofia looked at her up and down with a serious look.

"Why?" Amelia frowned.

"To breathe oxygen so you don't die 'Melia, duh."

"Yeah, 'Melia duh," Arizona teased her and then looked down at her daughter. "We don't have more scrub cap though, sweetie. Sorry."

The little Latina's face suddenly lighted up and she put her index finger up, indicating she just had had a revelation and both adults suddenly dreaded what was about to come out of her mouth. Two minutes later, Amelia was wearing a bike helmet which had been covered in tinfoil, much to her dismay but also much to Sofia's and Arizona's great entertainment. Realistically, the neurosurgeon knew she looked utterly ridiculous but she would gladly wear that stupid get-up any day if it meant hearing her girls' giggling that much.

"I feel like I'm in the cheapest version of X-files ever made," the brunette complained playfully.

"I think you look adorable," Arizona said tenderly and kissed her cheek.

"Come on, the aliens await for us and I think a little someone is pretty exited!"


	11. FALLIN' IN

**CHAPTER 11 – FALLIN' IN**

"Hey, would you mind watching Ellis for a few days? Zola picked up a cold at school and of course Bailey caught it too, I don't want Ellis to have it too. We can only drown in that much snot," Derek asked to his sister as he spotted her at the nurses' station.

Amelia looked up from her patient's file and Edwards' scribbled notes. Her brother looked exhausted, dark circles were starting to form under his eyes and his skin seemed paler than usual.

"You look like shit," she stated.

"Zola threw up every two hours and Bailey cried all night. Meredith was on call so Daddy had to deal with it."

"You should have Arizona or Karev check them out. Make sure it's just a common cold and not something more serious."

"Did that as soon as I came in. Just a simple flu, but we don't want Ellis to catch it. You wouldn't mind watching her for a few days, would you?"

"Let me see with Arizona first but I'm sure she won't have a problem with it."

"Thanks, you're a lifesaver," he kissed her cheek. "She's in daycare."

"You're welcome. You know I have a soft spot for this cute babbling mess."

* * *

Amelia put her tray down next to Arizona's and took the vacant chair. "You like baby Ellis, right?"

"Why do I feel like I'm being tricked?" Arizona asked, an eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"Zola and Bailey have the flu and it would appear that I'm on Ellis-duty. Just wanted to check with you if it was alright. She'll have to stay over until Zola and Bailey are in the clear."

"Sure, of course. I'd love to have Ellis over. That baby is a adorable."

"I'll make sure to remind you of that when she's waking you up for the umpteenth time at night or when she's puking on you when you're trying to burp her."

"Huh-huh, I don't remember agreeing to this," Arizona shook her head. "_You're_ the one doing the baby-sitting, I'm just here for when she's being cute and playful and all. I'm not dealing with diapers or crying, I already had my fair share."

Amelia cringed at the remark and gently squeezed the other woman's thigh. "You might have to watch her tonight though. I'm working and I already told yes to Derek."

"You're working?" Arizona pouted.

"Well, Mer is working and the kids are sick so they can't go to daycare. Derek took the night off to take care of them so I'm covering for him. I'm sorry baby, I was really looking forward to a quiet night in with you," the neurosurgeon squeezed her thigh once more, her thumb caressing it back and forth over the scrub pants as a silent apology.

"You're lucky I like you," Arizona clearly wasn't satisfied with it but at least, she was no longer pouting.

"I like you a lot too and thank you."

"You owe me. I had awesome plans for us tonight. And I'm eating your fries," Arizona stole one out of the brunette's plate.

"Oh, and what did those plans entail Dr. Robbins?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Arizona teased with a playful smile.

"I would very much."

The blonde's fingertips strolled onto the back of the other woman's hand resting on her thigh while her eyes focused onto Amelia's face, wanting to see her emotions as she was talking. "I had been thinking, you, me, Chinese food, ice cream for dessert, some conspiracy theory documentary…"

The brunette's face lighted up. Whenever they watched conspiracy documentaries, they always seemed to end up making out on the couch like a couple of horny teenagers. And what better way to spend the night than making out with her hot hopefully-soon-to-be-girlfriend.

"I'm interested, keep going."

"And then, we'd have done something we've been thinking about for weeks. Here's a hint, it involves you, me and my bed," the neurosurgeon's pupils dilated, the smallest of whine escaping her throat and Arizona knew she had her exactly where she wanted. She approached her mouth next to Amelia's ear before carrying on, "We would have gone to bed early and finally have the twelve hours of beauty sleep we've been dreaming about," she pecked her cheek before putting some distance back between the two of them, a cheeky smile on her lips.

Amelia sighed melancholically and gave her a tired grin. "That does sound like the perfect date. Scratch that, you're the perfect date. I like you so much. Can we take a rain check on that?"

"Of course, "Arizona laughed, happy to see Amelia and her were on the same line. She took another French fry, "We have all the time in the world for making out and sleeping."

"I can't wait to unconsciously spoon with you for twelve hours."

"You're so gay," the pediatric surgeon giggled and then softly squeezed her hand under the table. "And such a dork. I can't wait either."

* * *

"Hello, little Miss," Arizona greeted the babbling baby as the day care employee placed her into her arms.

"She had a very short nap this afternoon so she might get sleepy early tonight."

"Thank you, Mary."

"You're welcome Dr. Robbins," she smiled at her before going back with the other toddlers.

She threw Ellis' bag over her shoulder and walked out. "We're having a sleepover tonight sweetie."

Ellis tilted her head to the left.

"Yes, we are. Your big sister and brother are sick so we're going back to my very much germ-free house. How about we go see Mommy and Daddy before we leave so they can kissy-kiss your adorable baby face? I bet you'd like that."

She stood at the nurses' station playing peekaboo for a while, waiting for Meredith to finish up with her consult. Ellis' face lighted up as she saw her mommy and she threw her little arms up, indicating she wanted to be carried. For the few minutes, Arizona stood patiently as her friend explained to her thousands of things about her daughter.

"Meredith," she eventually interrupted. The dirty blonde was spiraling out of control. "You do remember that I have a child, right? Sofia wasn't born a six years old," she chastised playfully with a laugh.

"Right, sorry. I'm being over-annoying mama bear."

"It's okay, I get it. But we're going to be alright and I'll call you or Derek if I have any questions, okay?" she squeezed her friend's forearm reassuringly with a smile.

The general surgeon nodded and carefully handed her daughter back to her colleague after giving her a big kiss. "Have a great stay, honey. You and Amelia text me when she's at day care so I can go and see her a bit, okay?"

"Of course. But you do know you'll get her back in like, four days right?"

"I need to get myself together, I know. Thank you again."

"You're welcome. Your kids are always welcome to my house. Now stop buying time with this one and get back to work Dr Grey," she said jokingly and headed out of the hospital.

* * *

When Amelia eventually came home the next morning, she arrived just in time to witness Arizona feeding Ellis her bottle. The blonde had an old towel thrown haphazardly over her shoulder and was still wearing her pajamas. Her slightly messy and free honey blonde hair was curtaining her face, but Amelia still managed to catch a glimpse of the huge smile adorning the pediatric surgeon's mouth and the sparkles of tenderness floating in her eyes. The brunette felt her stomach doing summersaults and her heart clenched tightly into her chest at the beautiful scenario happening in front of her. Discretely, she closed the door and toed her shoes off.

"Hello my beauties," she greeted in a semi-whisper in order to not disturb her niece.

Arizona looked up, her smile never fading and Amelia was almost caught off guard by the astonishing way her dimples were popping out.

"Hey sweetie. How was work?"

"Pretty un-eventful actually. I even managed to catch a few hours of sleep in between craniotomies so I feel pretty okay," her right hand unconsciously came to rest onto the pediatric surgeon's hip, scrolling past her pajamas to draw lazy pattern onto the soft skin underneath to which the blonde let a happy sigh and leaned into the touch. She gently nudged Arizona's shoulder with her nose, catching the faint lavender detergent smell. "What about you? How was Ellis?"

"This little monster hides her play well. We were all fun and giggles until it was time to sleep. Then, it was nothing but tears and screams. Eventually, we ended bunking up and Ms went straight to dreamland. She did seven hours in one stretch, so that was definitely a nice treat. She's so cute when she's asleep, I had almost forgotten how adorable babies are."

Amelia rubbed her niece's clad feet softly which earned her a tilt of the head as she kept on sucking onto her bottle. "I better be careful or else this little devil is going to steal my woman away from me," she said playfully.

"Don't worry babe, you're still my favorite Sheperd," Arizona joked back with honest eyes and a sincere voice.

Her warm milk bottle devoured, Ellis pushed it away from her mouth and started to jabber, her hand slowly extending towards her auntie's hair.

"How about you go take a shower and get ready while I make us breakfast and burp this adorable human being?" Amelia asked as she slowly took the baby out of Arizona's arms. "Hello beautiful, come see Auntie Amelia," she cued and the baby gave her a gummy smile and giggled.

The blonde laid the tablecloth onto the other woman's shoulder in case Ellis would throw up.

"Thank you. But I think you forgot something."

Amelia's eyebrows furrowed all the while she gently jiggled the baby up and down, a protective hand wrapped behind her head.

Arizona tugged onto the neurosurgeon's top until her front was glued against hers, Ellis safely tucked in between them. She leaned in slowly. "Your good morning kiss," she whispered and softly pressed her lips against the brunette's.

Nothing could ever compare to the tenderness of Arizona's kisses after a long shift. Her silky lips, her strolling fingers onto her hip sending shivers all over her body, her curves against hers… However, the brunette could sense something was different than usual. She pulled away with a frown.

"New lip-gloss?" the brunette asked.

Arizona frowned. "Yes. They didn't have strawberry anymore so coconut it was."

"Coconut sucks, tastes bad."

"So you're not going to kiss me anymore 'cause you don't like my lip-gloss?" the blonde teased playfully.

"Nah, I'm still going to kiss you a bunch 'cause I like you a lot and your lips are way too kissable to be ignored. In fact, your face- hell your whole body is too kissable to be ignored," she peppered Arizona's face, kissing each cheek, her forehead, her chin and finished by her nose.

"Your dorkiness is showing, baby," Arizona joked but was actually quite delighted by Amelia's sweet attentions.

"Not a word out of our home, Robbins," Amelia pointed her index finger to her and Ellis jabbered loudly. She looked down at her, "Yes, that goes for you too, little Sheperd. I have a reputation to uphold at the hospital so not a word to any day care employees, got it?" she asked seriously and seemed satisfied when the baby half-babbled half-drooled in response.

"I like that you're so silly," the blonde said honestly as she replaced a brunette lock behind her ear.

"Thanks," Amelia gave her a peck and squeezed her butt, "Go take your shower now. I've got this."

When the pediatric surgeon came back a few minutes later, her wet hair was wrapped in a towel and she was dressed to face the day ahead of her.

Amelia was laying down onto the couch with Ellis sitting onto her belly, each little hand wrapped around a finger of her auntie's hands for balance. Breakfast was set onto the dinner table, warm coffee was already in mugs, fruits were cut, biscuits were out and cereal were sogging in milk.

"Yes, she did! See, Daddy was wrong, auntie did it. Of course, it wasn't easy because the tumor was located onto the back of Mr. Steven's pituitary gland."

Ellis gibbered in response.

"I know, that's what daddy said! But then I thought…"

Arizona stood silently spying Amelia and Ellis interacting. Her heart swelled insinde her chest and a wide smile graced her lips unconsciously. There wasn't a single side of the brunette Arizona didn't like. The more she learned about her and who she was as a person, the more she felt blessed to be able to call her hers.

Arizona quietly walked up to the back of the couch and arched up an eyebrow. "Don't you think she has enough of this at home with your brother?" the blonde teased and picked Ellis up and sat down at the table, Amelia following right behind them and sat in front of her.

"Nah. Look at her smile. That's a delighted smile. Brain talk is delighting to her. Isn't that right Ellis?"

The baby smiled toothily as she recognized her name, showing off her gums instead of teeth.

"See?" Amelia smiled goofily at the blonde. "Plus, studies show that babies who have high verbal and oral stimulations during their first two years develop Broca's and Wernick's areas earlier and have less difficulties forming complex words once they actually start talking. They also have less difficulties translating written words into the right syllable once they learn to read, making them less inclined to dyslexia and dysorthographia."

"Nerd," Arizona teased playfully but inside, she could actually feel a few butterflies trying to escape her stomach.

The other woman always had this glint of passion whenever she talked about neurosurgery or anything brain related really, it was mesmerizing. Moreover, there was something utterly magical about seeing her being so caring and thoughtful with kids that made the mother inside of her melt. Amelia never seized to amaze her it seemed.

Amelia playfully hit her shin under the table, purposely hitting softly into her prosthetic. "I'm mostly doing it 'cause I like her little smile so much!" she cued to the baby and Ellis laughed. "Yep, that's the one! It's the one I'm talking about, buddy."

The pediatric surgeon glanced down and sure enough, that grin was certainly a winner. "That _is_ a pretty cute smile. Almost as cute as her auntie's."

"Aren't you one smooth talker," Amelia joked as she got up.

"I am," Arizona smiled proudly.

The neurosurgeon piled up the empty plates in one hand and took her empty mug into the other. She was finishing loading up the dishwasher when two arms wrapped themselves around her midsection and a head dropped in between her shoulder blades.

"I have to go to work."

Amelia's eyes opened wide, and she turned around, her arms finding their usual place around Arizona's neck. The blonde's hair was now dry and up into its usual ponytail and she had put on some light make up to hide the small bags under her eyes from her night with a baby.

"But I just got there. I barely saw you an hour. How am I supposed to get through today with only five minutes of lady lovin'?"

"Lucky you, I'm only doing some consults till mid-afternoon. And until then, you have a fierce little lady to keep you company instead," she mentioned towards the living room with her head where her niece was packing up colorful plastic cubes.

"It's not the same," Amelia pouted.

"I know, but there's no alternative alas," she gently leaned in to kiss her but was surprised when the other woman's pointer finger crashed against her mouth instead of her lips.

She raised an eyebrow in question and the finger lowered.

"Did you put that awful coconut lip gloss on again? I know I said I didn't mind but I also kind of really don't like it," she scrunched her nose in disgust.

"I didn't put it on," the blonde laughed. "Can I kiss you now?"

Amelia nodded and softly pulled Arizona closer to kiss her properly. Her hand rested around the blonde's neck since the honey hair was up and she stroked the skin, her thumbs tenderly strolling back and forth against her jaw. Arizona's hands wandered onto her lower back, tenderly keeping her close. Out of breath, Arizona pulled away, her forehead resting against Amelia's.

"Maybe we could go out this afternoon? Take her to the park or something? It's supposed to be sunny."

"Sure. Any opportunity to spend some time with you and my niece."

"I'll see you in a few hours. Nap good baby."

"Well, you know what they say. Work hard, nap harder," the neurosurgeon joked with a smug smile.

"You know, last Monday Sofia complained you were making a lot of dad jokes. I didn't quite get what she meant at the time, but I think I do now," the blonde teased.

"Fuck you," Amelia giggled at the playful remark and lightheartedly elbowed her into the ribs. "Dad jokes are great."

"You're spending too much time with Derek," she pecked her one last time before pulling away. "Have a great day honey. Bye baby girl."

* * *

"We went to dinner, you know that Chinese place down on 4th? Their food is awesome. I don't think I ate that much in a long time, even though I ate with my chopsticks."

"_You can't eat with chopsticks to save your life,"_ Owen replied giggling at the memory of the last time Amelia and he had tried to eat with chopsticks. It had been a real bloodbath.

"I know. But I knew it would make her laugh, and I like hearing her laugh. It's cute."

"_Someone has it bad."_

"Shut up. You're my friend, you're supposed to be nice to me!"

"_Says the girl who mocks me half of the time."_

"I do that out of love," Amelia said. "You kn-"

A knock came from the door and since the pediatric surgeon and she were alone, she wasn't surprised to see Arizona's head poking in a few seconds later. She was however surprised to see her still up. They had came back from their date almost forty five minutes ago and she was pretty sure she hadn't seen any light slipping out from Arizona's door frame when she had walked back to her bedroom after having taken her shower. The neurosurgeon smiled sweetly at her and motioned to her to come in completely.

"Owen, I have to go, Arizona's here. Coffee tomorrow?"

"_You bet. Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't."_

She sneered. "You wish," she replied and hung up.

She focused onto Arizona. The blonde was clad into her pajamas and she was sporting a cheeky grin as she sat onto the edge of the bed and laid her crutches down next to her.

"What's up?"

"So imagine this. I'm lying in my bed for like, twenty minutes now and I have this stupid smile on my face that I can't seem to wipe off."

"Is it this very one?" Amelia teased playfully as she pointed toward the pediatric surgeon's face.

"It is, indeed. This is my I-had-an-amazing-night-stupid-smile. And then I'm like damn, I wish I had invited this girl inside for coffee. But I didn't invite you in. It would have made no sense because we live together, right? But if we didn't, if we weren't roommates I mean, I would have invited you to come in after our date, wishing you would have said yes and hopefully you'd have wanted to spend the night over and then I'd get the chance to hold the reason of my stupid smile in my arms. Anyway, like I said, I spend the next twenty minutes lying wide awake in my bed, wondering what to do. Next thing I know, I'm standing here. So," she paused, her grin still on her lips and her eyes fell into Amelia's, "Wanna come in?"

By now, Amelia had the exact same big stupid smile on her face. Her belly filled with butterflies as happiness ran through her, making her heartbeat increase terrifyingly faster. It felt good to know that tonight had been as awesome for her as it had been for Arizona, that their feelings were reciprocated.

"Yes! Of course, you big goof," the brunette said as if it was obvious. "I'd love to come in."

Arizona giggled and leaned in to kiss her. Since both women were grinning, it turned out to be tricky but they wouldn't change it for the world. As they pulled away, the blonde's hand strolled onto the back of Amelia's neck, keeping her close and softly rubbed the silky skin she had found there.

"I like you," she confessed, honesty and care shining into her eyes like the sun into the sky.

"I like you too," the brunette replied and kissed her tenderly, hoping to prove how serious her words were.

The other woman grabbed her crutches and got up, walking towards the door and leaving behind her a confused Amelia. She turned around to see her still sitting on the bed and frowned.

"Aren't you coming?"

The neurosurgeon raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see how it is Robbins. Making me work for it," she faked light indignation but got up anyway to follow her. "My bed's not good enough for you?"

"Mine's better," Arizona smirked as she led them into her bedroom.

Barely had she passed the doorway, Amelia threw her naked self onto the bed and bounced. She sat up and bounced again, grinning childishly at Arizona.

"What the hell are you doing?" The pediatric surgeon asked, chuckling.

"You said it was a good bed so I'm testing it!" she bounced one last time onto the comforter before letting herself fall back, lying flat on her back.

"You already slept here plenty."

Amelia chose to ignore her, "Very comfy. I can definitely see myself sleeping here more often."

"Oh yeah?" Arizona giggled, entertained by the neurosurgeon's behavior.

Amelia was a rare mix of childish and dorky which made her incredibly perfect in Arizona's eyes.

The brunette lifted herself onto her elbows and looked at the blonde who was will standing a few feet away and she pouted. "Feels kind of lonely though."

"I think I can help with that."

Arizona joined her onto the bed and both slid under the sheets. She easily settled into Amelia's offered embrace, turning off the bedside lamp before cuddling into her warm body.

Arizona whispered sweetly, "I'm in for one hell of a ride with you Sheperd, aren't I?"

"Yep," the other woman said proudly and dropped a kiss onto the clad shoulder.

She pulled the blonde closer, needing to feel as much of Arizona as she could to be sure she wasn't dreaming. Her nose buried into honey blonde hair and the faint smell of blooming flowers lulled her right to sleep.

* * *

"You know what I hadn't anticipated being involved with a woman? The hair. Head hair, I mean. There is hair every fucking where. Bath drain? Hair. Pillows? Hair. Socks coming out of the laundry machine? Hair. Spooning? Hair in your face trying to suffocate you. It's just too much," she took a sip of her coffee.

Owen and she had managed to get fifteen minutes together to share yesterday promised coffee after a rather busy morning. They were currently sitting into the attending's lounge, happy to finally sit after standing up for so long.

Owen laughed. "Welcome to our world, I guess."

"Maybe you should try dating men," Amelia joked and Owen chuckled.

"No thanks, Amelia."

"You're probably right," she let her head fall onto his shoulder. "Women are way too soft to be renounced. Hugging Arizona feels like spooning a cotton cloud, only she's way prettier and cuter."

"A least one of us had a good night of sleep."

"That I did," she said almost dreamily. "Also, not having to deal with morning wood poking at me first thing in the morning is really nice."

Owen laughed. "You realize we don't control everything our bodies do when we're asleep, right?"

"I know but you try sleeping peacefully with an erect penis nudging you."

Owen held both of his hands up like an innocent, this obviously wasn't his fight.

"You know what? I just realized I have a ton of condoms in my bedside table that I'm probably never going to use."

"A ton?" the trauma surgeon asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Don't judge!" the brunette gently punched him in the ribs. "Okay, maybe not a ton, but you know, a fair share of them. I was being optimistic. And now, they're just… waiting. What a waste."

"You could always give them to me?" Owen said, with a serious business face on.

Amelia just frowned at him in reply and looked up to meet his face.

"Like you just said," he shrugged. "You're a lesbian now-"

"Bi," Amelia interrupted him, not liking the erasure.

"Bi in a lesbian relationship," Owen worded more carefully. "So they're just sitting there while your very single male friend could use them."

"Yeah, if only I had a single male friend who's actually getting laid from time to time," Amelia faked deep thinking and rubbed her chin between her fingers.

"Fuck you! Just because it's been awhile since I… was involved with someone doesn't mean anything. Besides, what are your other options? Derek?"

"Ugh!" the neurosurgeon was obviously appalled and disgusted at the mention of her brother. "Please, do not say my brother's name and anything sexually related in the same sentence. What is wrong is you?" she shuddered at the mere thought.

Owen chuckled at her attitude. "You do know that Derek and Meredith have three kids, right? Two of them from natural births," he teased her.

She put her hands over her ears, in the very same way kids did when their parents were telling them something they didn't want to acknowledge. "Just stop, you asshole!"

The redhead laughed and Amelia pouted at him.

"Hey, we can hear you guys giggling from outside. What are you talking about?" Jackson asked as he entered the room.

The plastic surgeon made his way to the coffee pot and helped himself a cup.

"Condoms," the brunette said.

"Derek," Owen replied at the same time.

Jackson was left confused at what the actual subject was and decided that some questions were better left unanswered.


	12. THE IN BETWEEN

**CHAPTER 12 – THE IN BETWEEN**

Amelia was taking a well-deserved nap in an on-call room after a seven-hour surgery when Arizona finally found her. She still had one hour to kill before her next surgery, Wilson was in charge of her post-ops and Karev was doing rounds, so she decided to just get in bed with the brunette and laze around surrounded by the periodic and soothing up and down of Amelia's chest and the barely-there disinfectant smell that followed every surgeon like its shadow.

The blonde sat on the edge of the bed and quickly took of her prosthetic, pushing it under the bed before slipping under the warm sheets. Amelia grunted unhappily at the new intrusion, her face contorting and Arizona stopped moving. When it was obvious that the brunette was still in deep slumber, she snaked an arm around her own waist before falling asleep too.

When Amelia woke up, she was quite surprise to find Arizona in her arms, sound asleep. The brunette kissed her adorable face softly to wake her up but the blonde turned around grumpily and hid her face into Amelia's neck.

"No," she said sleepily.

"No?" Amelia said, amused by her behavior.

"Five more minutes."

"Fine, five more minutes," Amelia chuckled and kissed her forehead.

One of her hand wandered aimlessly until it reached blonde hair and she caressed her scalp as she watched her sleep. The neurosurgeon allowed herself to take Arizona in, the light curls of her hair, the subtle laugh lines around her mouth, her soft looking lips which she knew could turn her bad mood around with a simple smile, the way her eyebrows furrowed or her nose lovely scrunched up every so often in her sleep…

"I can feel you staring at me," the blonde mumbled into her neck.

Her voice slightly hoarse with sleep, Amelia added to her list.

"I'm allowed to. You're beautiful," she could feel the other woman's mouth curl up into a grin against her skin.

"Dork," her eyes still closed, she cuddled herself even further into Amelia's tender embrace and sighed happily. "I'm so comfy, I never want to leave this bed."

"Me neither. But my bladder doesn't seem to agree with us unfortunately. Don't move, I'll be right back."

Arizona groaned unhappily but let the brunette go. She was back in a matter of minutes and glided back under the covers eagerly. Arizona's back was back against her front, a little awaken at the disturbance but still ready to fall right back asleep at any moment. The brunette pulled the other woman's hair out of her way and started to pepper the back of Arizona's neck with kisses.

"Wake up sleepy head," she whispered sweetly.

"Five more minutes," the pediatric surgeon complained, her chest swelling with tenderness at the sweet affection she was receiving.

"You already said that five minute ago," the neurosurgeon giggled.

An idea popped up into Amelia's head. One of her hand wandered under Arizona's scrub top, her short fingernails trailing up her stomach until she reached one of her breast and squeezed it over her bra. The blonde whimpered at the motion, her torso leaning into the welcomed touch.

While both of them still hadn't had sex, it didn't stop them from making out heavily like horny teenagers. It wasn't that they were stopping themselves to have sex or that Amelia wasn't feeling ready or anything, they just felt like taking their sweet time. Slowly learning which places made the other woman squirm, whimper or moan. To explore each other's bodies' at their own rhythm and leisurely discover the sexual part of their relationship together.

"Maybe it's time I try a different way," Amelia whispered sensually into her ear.

She squeezed the tender flesh harder, mindful to give each breasts the same attention and earned herself a few encouraging moans. She pushed the bra up and her fingers focused on the erect nipples she found underneath. Amelia propped herself onto her elbow to get better access and her mouth settled on Arizona's jaw, her lips gently sucking the silky skin and the blonde's groans grew louder.

A hint of teeth sank right where Arizona's shoulder met her neck before being immediately softened with a warm tongue. Her hips rocked unconsciously, chasing more pressure but sadly only met thin air. The pediatric surgeon's eyes eventually fluttered opened and she turned herself onto her back, her mouth enviously seeking Amelia's. Finding it, her tongue slipped right in, trying to convey her appreciation. The tormenting fingers slowed down on her chest, eventually stopping their ministrations and replacing her bra on. The neurosurgeon's hand strolled its way down to her belly, rubbing it delicately.

"Look who is eventually up," Amelia breathily teased as she pulled away.

"I'm more than up," Arizona smirked and attacked the neurosurgeon's neck with her plump lips while pushing her onto her back.

The blonde was reaching her collarbone when Amelia's pager was heard. The brunette whined loudly and she glanced at it, whining even louder when she saw who it was.

"Uh, Derek is such a cock-block! I want to make out with you."

Arizona laughed, the brunette was too cute when she was acting all petulant. "Go, we have all the time to make out later."

"I fucking hate my brother," Amelia complained as she got up and went to find him.

* * *

When the pediatric surgeon walked back to her wing, all cheerful and smiling. Karev decided it was time to investigate. Robbins had been acting strange over the last few weeks, all chirpy and bright. Well, more so than usual. He was pretty sure she had met someone.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked.

"What?" Arizona asked frowning, not knowing what he was talking about.

"You haven't stopped smiling in a week, do you know that? It's creepy."

"Sorry my happiness is disturbing you Karev," she said with a straight face, letting no emotions transpire, her tone flat. "Is it better like this?"

"I never said you had to stop. The new chick must be really good, if you know what I mean."

"Yes Karev, I always know what you mean unfortunately," Arizona snorted.

"So, who is she?"

Arizona pursed her lips, pondering if she should tell him. She figured he wouldn't make a big deal out of it and wouldn't go gossiping around so she went with the truth. "Amelia."

"The She-Sheperd? Really?" he seemed genuinely surprised.

"You do know her last name's only Sheperd right?" she said slightly irritated.

She hated when people did that. Amelia was her own person for God's sake. She was just as good as her brother – even better if Arizona had her say in it – and she didn't need to be in his shadows all the time.

He studied her for a few moments. "I can see it," he concluded.

"See what?" she frowned, not sure what Karev was implying.

"Well, you've both been through some pretty heavy stuff," he shrugged nonchalantly. "I can see why you guys would grow close and you know, grow feelings. Not going to lie though, I totally thought she was sleeping with Owen."

"Of course you did," the blonde rolled her eyes.

* * *

Before she had even touched the doorknob, Amelia could tell something wrong was going on inside her home. Sofia's wails could be heard from outside and she grew a little concerned, her brows furrowing. Arizona was at home so why was their daughter crying like a madman?

She walked in, terrifying screams and the delicious smell of dinner welcoming her. She didn't even have time to remove her coat and shoes that Sofia was crashing into her legs, hugging them with all her might.

"Hello munchkin."

She knelt carefully to get a better look at her daughter, her eyes were red and puffy and her Disney tee-shirt was stained with tears, snot and drool. Just as the Latina extended her arms for a hug, Arizona appeared into the hall.

"Huh-huh, I don't think so, young lady," the pediatric surgeon's voice was stern and Amelia could tell she was trying her best to hide her irritation. "You go back to sit in the naughty corner, you still have five minutes of time out."

The neurosurgeon had no earthy idea of why Sofia was being punished for but she knew Callie and Arizona rarely sanctioned her anymore now that she was a little older. The Latina was hardly ever throwing outbursts or testing her moms' limits. Instead she was more prone to talk out loud about whatever issues she was having. In the whole time Amelia had been living there, it was actually the first time that she was witnessing Sofia in such a state.

"I DON'T WANNA GO BACK TO YOUR SOSO CORNER!" she shouted towards Arizona as she defiantly stomped her foot onto the ground, her little hands curling into angry fists.

No need to speak Spanish to understand that whatever soso meant, it didn't belong into their six years old daughter's mouth. Amelia took one little hand into hers while the other softly grabbed her face, pushing the tears away and forcing her to look up into her eyes.

"You do not use bad words in the house or yell at your mom when she's talking calmly to you. This isn't an acceptable behavior, okay?" the neurosurgeon asked more rhetorically than anything, her voice even and serene. She might still be new at this whole having a kid thing and a total virgin at handling tantrums, but it seemed logical to explain to Sofia why it was wrong. "Mommy says you still have five more minutes of sitting down into the naughty corner. So, you're going to sit there and once the time is up and you're all calmed down, we can talk."

Sofia didn't say anything back, the tears were still coming out at full speed and she was obviously still angry. Both women could feel their hearts breaking at their inconsolable daughter. Amelia led her back to her chair facing the corner and sat her onto it.

"Five minutes."

The little girl, as furious as she was, stayed onto her seat, sobbing and wailing as the adult walked away. The neurosurgeon quickly discarded her coat and shoes before rejoining the other woman into the kitchen. Passing by the dining room, she caught a glance at the already set table and the still untouched course sitting in the middle. Arizona was holding her head in between her hands, her elbows onto the counter, bent forward.

"Hey," the brunette said softly to get her attention.

Arizona looked up, a small tired smile graced her lips and a hand ran into her honey blonde hair. "Hey."

Feeling the tiredness radiating off the pediatric surgeon, Amelia tenderly wrapped her arms around her midsection and pulled her into a loving hug. Arizona melted right away into her embrace, her head finding its usual place onto her shoulder and her arms coming around the brunette's neck. A hand rubbed her lower back and she let out a small groan of relief.

"What happened?" Amelia asked and dropped a kiss onto her forehead.

"Sofia decided that she wanted nothing to do with the vegetables I had cooked, even though she had been okay with it when I had told her what we would be eating for dinner tonight. She demanded pasta instead. When I said no, she screamed and threw her plate on the floor."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's nobody fault. I just- I hate when she's behaving like this."

"She's only six, you can't expect her to act like a reasonable adult just yet," she said lightheartedly.

"I know, it's just… so maddening and I want to shout, but I have to restrain because that would be totally uncalled for, helpless and counter-productive. I hate seeing her like this, I hate punishing her. It makes me feel like the worst mom in history. I just want to hug her and stop her tears. Her eyes are so beautiful, only happy tears should be allowed to fill them."

"I know exactly what you mean. I want to cave too but we have to be strong and look at the bigger picture. Callie and you are raising a well behaved, funny and caring little girl. You both are fantastic moms. Never forget that," she said decisively.

The blonde pulled away a tad to look up at the other woman, her bright eyes drowning into the truthfulness and care shining in Amelia's.

"Thank you. I needed to hear that."

"Anytime, sweetheart. Anytime," she squeezed her a little closer. "Come on, now. Let's find out if that daughter of ours has finally calmed down," she gently let go of Arizona and headed to Sofia.

Daughter of _ours_. Amelia obviously hadn't noticed her slip up but Arizona sure did. It felt a little disconcerting at first, our daughter had meant Callie's and hers for so long now. However a huge smile found its way onto her lips and a storm of butterflies exploded in her belly as pure exhilaration ran through her. She knew it was too early and they hadn't been dating for that long yet, but that small word gave her hope. Hope that Amelia Sheperd was the right person for her family. Right for her and her daughter.

"You coming?" Amelia asked when she saw Arizona standing there, grinning like a fool at nothingness. An adorable fool but still.

"Yes," she shook her head and quickly followed the neurosurgeon.

* * *

Arizona was laying in bed in an on call room, being miserable and slowly feeling death taking over her body against her will. Her period had decided to come in early this month and on top of that happy surprise, her uterus was being unusually and awfully painful. So here she was, laying in a fetal position into a dark on-call room, trying not to cry as she waited for the painkillers she had swallowed to relieve some of the pain due to the cramps. The only thing she hated more than her bloody womb right now was the fact that she had had to hand her surgery to Karev since she was afraid the pain would distract her too much and she wouldn't be focused enough on Sara. And Sara deserved the best surgeon.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when the door opened, the hallway light invading her pity party and the dark room.

"Go away," she barked grumpily, not in the mood to deal with another not-in-pain-and-not-suffering-from-cramps-from-hell human being.

"You're a hard woman to find, Robbins. I had to do the entire pediatric floor to find you."

The blonde recognized Amelia's voice and she turned around to see her face, groaning in pain but thankful to see her.

"Oh, hey. What are you doin' here?" the blonde asked.

Arizona's pain was written all over her face. Not knowing what was hurting, Amelia was obviously concerned to see her in such state. She sat on the floor by the head of the bed and tenderly cupped the blonde's cheek, her thumb stroking it back and forth in what she hoped was comforting manner. She looked at her with nothing but worry and care in her eyes.

"Karev said you weren't feeling too well. Said you gave him your surgery. He's worried and honestly, so am I. I came as soon as I was done with rounds. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine, it's just some bad period cramps. Nothing the painkiller I just took won't fix."

Amelia rolled her eyes. She knew Arizona was belittling her pain since she hated showing her vulnerable side and was reluctant to ask for help. It was irritating but Amelia knew she had the bad habit of doing the exact same thing.

"Yes, because you look ecstatic," she deadpanned. "Let me help? Please?" she asked with utter empathy and kindness that Arizona couldn't say no to, so the blonde nodded. "Be right back," the brunette kissed her forehead and walked out.

True to her words, a few minutes later the neurosurgeon was back with her arms full.

"So, I stole a donut from the attending's room in case you get hungry," she said as she placed the food onto the nightstand before gliding herself under the sheets and taking Arizona in her arms, which made the blonde sigh happily.

"And that should help the pain," she put the hot water bottle she had just stole from a supply closet in between them and her hands wandered under her partner's scrub top to lightly stroke her tense lower back.

All the attention with the addition of the painkiller finally kicking in was enough to send Arizona over the edge. The few tears that were threatening to spill a few moments ago were now falling freely, the anger towards Mother Nature, the pain and the comfort she was feeling going out through her tears. The embrace tightened in response and a kiss was dropped onto her forehead.

"You alright?" the neurosurgeon's asked, concerned when she saw Arizona softly sobbing.

Arizona nodded and buried herself further into the crook of Amelia's neck. It felt good to be comforted like this, to _allow_ herself to be taken care of like this.

"Don't you have surgeries?" she asked, suddenly feeling a little guilty to keep Amelia out of the neurology wing just because she was having some bad cramps while some people had brains tumors.

"Nothing Derek and Edwards can't handle, they'll page me if they need anything. I just want to lay here with you for a while," Amelia said sweetly and kissed her forehead tenderly. "Go to sleep, baby. You'll feel better after."

So that was what Arizona did, safely tucked into her the other woman's arms.


	13. ALL I WANNA DO

**CHAPTER 13 – ALL I WANNA DO**

Amelia was sitting, her back against the arm of the couch with Arizona sitting in between her legs, her back resting against the other woman's front. The brunette was brainlessly flipping through the channels, hoping to land on something interesting but having no such luck so far, while the blonde was reading quietly. Having had enough, the neurosurgeon turned off the TV with a huff. She wrapped her arms around Arizona's waist, pulling her closer and put her head on her shoulder.

"I'm bored," she sighed petulantly, in a way that reminded the pediatric surgeon very much of Sofia, "If I watch anymore of this dumb crap, my number of neurons is going to pass sub-zero soon."

"I didn't know you even owned some to begin with," Arizona joked with a smirk as she lowered her journal and turned her head to look at the other woman.

The brunette faked feeling hurt, her mouth hanging open as if she was shocked and the blonde couldn't help but chuckle at her adorable dorkiness.

"That was really mean of you, Zona."

"I was only kidding, baby. I'm sorry," she said apologetically, a hand getting lost into Amelia's brunette mane and tenderly caressing her hair. "You're the most brilliant person I've ever met, I'm really lucky to have you," the pediatric surgeon punctuated her statement with a soft kiss.

"Now, that's a lot better," Amelia murmured, a lazy yet content smile on her lips with her eyes still closed.

Arizona chuckled and dropped another sweet kiss onto Amelia's lips. "It's also the truth. That smarty brain of yours never seizes to amaze me and you're so freaking emotionally strong. You have no idea how attractive that makes you," she declared, her voice showing every hint of her openness and her sincerity at this very moment.

The brunette could feel the blush rising to her cheeks while her heart hastily pounded with exhilaration in her chest. She forced down the squeal that was threatening to escape her throat and buried her head into the crook of her blonde's neck to hide her reddened cheeks and her enormous smile. Arizona's hand left her hair and she laced her fingers with Amelia's hand that was resting comfortably on her belly.

"You're pretty damn astonishing yourself. I like you so much Arizona," the brunette said back, just as genuinely.

"Me too," she dropped a kiss onto Amelia's cheek and picked her medical journal back up, her other hand tenderly stroking the back of Amelia's.

She had progressed about ten pages and she was almost certain Amelia had fallen asleep when the brunette readjusted herself against the blonde. Amelia finally got out of her hiding spot and her plump lips wrapped around the blonde's neck, enjoying the way Arizona's grip on her hand became instantly tighter and the small hiss that fell from her lips.

"Watchu readin'?" the brunette murmured and attached her mouth right where the blonde's jaw met her ear.

"The American Journ-nal," Arizona replied, her eyes fluttering shut at the touch.

"What's the article about?"

"O-on-going trials onto the, the use of cannabinoids into the children p-population."

"Did I ever tell you how fucking hot you look when you're acting all medical?"

"I'm starting to get that, y-yeah," Arizona giggled and she tilted her head to give Amelia better access.

"Good, you should always know how hot you are to me," the neurosurgeon softly pushed the curtain of honey blonde hair away before affixing her lips to the inviting new smooth skin offered to her.

Arizona whimpered and her hand grabbed the blanket, her journal fell loudly onto the floor but she couldn't care less.

"Not such a steady grip for a surgeon, Dr Robbins," Amelia taunted into her ear.

Her hand left Arizona's to explore under her shirt, her fingertips grazing up her belly until they stumbled upon a bra. Barely was her hand resting on Arizona's right breast that the blonde was leaning her chest forward, silently asking for more. Amelia gladly gave in, grabbing her breast with a full hand and kneading it through the material just as the same time as a hint of her teeth nibbled onto her neck. Happily surprised, Arizona whimpered and a wave of arousal ran straight down in between her legs.

"You alright there?" Amelia chuckled.

"Shut up and kiss me," Arizona said breathily, bending her head backwards onto Amelia's shoulder.

"I thought you'd never ask," she smirked and kissed her sweetly but pulled away a few seconds later with a giggle. "Turn around. I'm afraid you're going to break your neck with this weird angle or that we're going to end up having sore necks."

"Yeah, this isn't the most comfortable," the pediatric surgeon agreed and flipped around, the blanket joining the journal on the floor soundlessly.

She laid on top of the neurosurgeon and crashed her mouth against hers, picking things up right where they had been without missing a beat. The brunette's left thigh smoothly glided in between the blonde's instantly. Since they were just relaxing on their day off, neither of them had bothered to put pants on and the sudden feeling of Amelia's skin in between her own naked thighs made the pediatric surgeon feel utterly insane with arousal. A moan made its way out, Arizona's or hers, Amelia wouldn't be able to tell, and she seized the opportunity to slide her tongue inside the other woman's mouth. Amelia's hands pulled her impossibly closer and Arizona's body sank further into hers.

Hands wandered under her top, Amelia's fingertips grazing up and down against the velvety flesh of Arizona's back, loving the feeling of shivers that were running along the other woman's spine. Wanting to feel more of her, Amelia broke the kiss and quickly tugged the offending shirt away, the blonde helping her. As soon as had it touched the floor, the pediatric surgeon lay back on top on her, her mouth wrapping hungrily around her pulse point. Amelia groaned, her hands wandered down Arizona's body to squeeze her butt, firmly bringing her down against her thigh. The blonde's lips hummed with enthusiasm against her skin and one of her hand flew to Amelia's breast, squeezing it confidently.

"TV s-should be boring more of-often," Arizona said huskily.

"You wish," the brunette teased playfully.

"I truly do," Arizona laughed. "Should we take this to the bedroom?"

While the proposition held no implication whatsoever, both surgeons were smart enough to understand it easily could. They had been slowly building up toward it for weeks now, their making out sessions growing more passionate and heavier each time, the tentative caresses and shy kisses from the beginning now long gone. Not that they were particularly waiting or anything to have sex, but both women had the bad habit of jumping in bed too soon, before building anything meaningful with the other person. So the fact that they were allowing their emotional connection to grow and explore each other's bodies unhurriedly was thrilling.

When Arizona was looking at her like this, her usual bright blue eyes now almost pitch black, her breath uneven and her cheeks blushed, the neurosurgeon couldn't deny the adoration she held for her anymore. Amelia wanted to share everything with this woman, she wanted them to share this kind of intimacy.

"Sure," she pecked her softly and sat up, Arizona on her knees, straddling her. "Hold on tight to me."

Arizona wrapped her arms securely around the other woman's neck and her thighs around her hips. Amelia got up, firmly holding the blonde close to her by her ass and her back, both because she wanted to feel every inch of her and also to ensure she wouldn't fall. She transported them through the house with half-lidded eyes, trying to ignore the harsh kisses the pediatric surgeon was sucking on her neck but having great difficulties. She was honestly surprised when her knees encountered the bed, shocked that she hadn't bumped them into any walls or piece of furniture.

The neurosurgeon carefully sat the other woman down on the bed, saddened to no longer feel her lips on her skin but eager to discard her own clothes in order to feel more of Arizona against her. Under Arizona's watchful gaze, she quickly threw them away. As her bra flew across the room, her boobs finally exposed, the blonde couldn't hold back her moan, which immediately boosted Amelia's self-confidence. Arizona sat up, her hands settling onto Amelia's hips to pull her closer.

Amelia followed Arizona's lead and straddled the other woman's waist. Almost like a reflex, her hands ran down and up Amelia's thighs, feeling every inch of soft ivory skin underneath her fingertips. They trailed up to her belly, tenderly tracing the faint stretch marks adorning it, testimony that Amelia had once held life inside her. Soft hands cupped the blonde's cheeks and raised her face to meet her eyes. Arizona's gaze was tender and full of care, looking at the neurosurgeon like the scars of her past littering her body had elevated a fine body into a priceless piece of art.. Silk lips landed on hers delicately, pulling her into a languid kiss. Suddenly, her chest was cold and the pediatric surgeon realized that it was because her bra was no longer on.

"Very smooth, Sheperd," she said impressed.

"Sheer luck," she giggled and Arizona joined her.

The neurosurgeon kissed the chuckle away before letting her lips explore further down. She kissed the column of Arizona's throat, and softly pushed her down into a lying position so she could carry on mapping Arizona's body more easily with her mouth. The blonde's hand got lost into a mane of brunette hair while her other clenched onto Amelia's shoulder. Her eyes fluttered shut, focusing onto the trail of loving kisses being placed on her body, trying her hardest not to combust with inner desire. Her neck, her sternum, her belly...

Amelia had never had such a vocal partner. She had only ever had sex with men and apart from a few grunts here and there, they had never turned out to be very vocal partners. As Arizona's moans and whimpers filled the room, it turned her on beyond repair and she felt proud to be the source of them. Finally arriving to her panties, she could already see a wet spot in the middle and it felt incredibly gratifying. She planted one last kiss just above the underwear.

"Ass up, please?" she asked.

The other woman complied happily and Amelia dragged the offending garment down her leg in one swift move. There was something about seeing Arizona like this, sprawled on the sheets, her nipples erected, her chest heavy, her genitals glistening with want and her engorged clit shyly poking out of its hood. The small fire that had taken place into her lower stomach grew exponentially and it was honestly a miracle Amelia remembered how to breathe.

"You alright?" Arizona asked when she saw the brunette was spacing out, seemingly taking her body in.

It brought Amelia back to present time and she shook her head to get a hold of herself.

"Sorry. I know I've seen you naked before since we sometimes take showers together and sleep together and all but there's something about seeing you naked in a sexual context that just turns my brain to mush."

"You're pretty would have sufficed," Arizona teased with a smirk, but she could feel her heart fluttering at the compliment.

"Yes, but you're pretty doesn't even half cover how stunning I think you are right now," she said and laid back on top of the blonde to kiss her tenderly, happy to feel the silky skin she loved so much against hers, their breasts pushing against each other's. "Is there anything I should know about?" the brunette asked sweetly once she had pulled away.

The pediatric surgeon's heart melted at the other woman's thoughtfulness and she almost "owwwwed" before seeing the perfect opportunity for mischief.

"Well, I guess, if we're being honest…" Arizona started, her voice hesitant.

"What is it?" the neurosurgeon asked.

"I'll tell you but you have to promise not to freak out."

"I promise," her concern showed, her eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly and her hand came to stroke the other woman's arm supportively.

Arizona let out a big sigh, like she was about to share a big secret. "I only have one leg, the other one is a prosthetic," she announced with seriousness, her eyes bored into Amelia's.

The blonde watched as the other woman's face contorted in confusion and puzzlement, her mouth opening and closing a few times and her frown deepening as she kept glancing between Arizona's face and her left limb. Much like pants, since they were just having a quiet day in, she hadn't seen any point in putting her prosthetic on. Eventually, her giggles became too powerful to be contained and Arizona burst into uncontrollable laughter. Treason overtook Amelia's face, her eyes almost popped out of their sockets and her mouth formed a perfect O-shape.

"You, little shit!" Amelia teasingly accused and poked her ribcage. "Why would you do that?"

"You sh-should have seen your fa-face!" she said in between two laughs. "You l-looked hilarious!"

"I probably looked like I was having a stroke, you dumbass! Do you have any idea how fast my heart is beating?"

"I'm so sorry, I just had to do it. I couldn't resist the opportunity, sweetie," she said, her giggles finally sustained and wiped away the few tears that had made it out.

"Oh, don't sweetie me. Don't you ever do that again."

"Promise," Arizona nodded and pecked her apologetically.

"Pinky promise?" she held up her pinky in between them.

"Pinky promise," the blonde reassured and laced their pinkies together.

"Good," the brunette pulled her into another kiss, much fiercer this time. "For real though, anything off limits?" Amelia asked, ever so thoughtful and caring.

The pediatric surgeon tried her best to think of anything. "I don't like women lingering on my left leg? I know they're trying to be cute and all but it's actually rather annoying since it just accentuates the bad memories behind it. I mean, it's just my left leg. It's as good as my right one," she shrugged. "What about you?"

"I don't like when people hold my head forcefully in places? A resting hand or guiding hand is fine but trapping my head against genitals can send me into a full blown panic attack, so there's that I guess."

It made Arizona a little upset that Amelia had ever been in a situation where she had been shoved against her will but the blonde put her small anger aside, knowing it was neither the place nor the moment to talk about it. It only spurred her on to make sure Amelia had a good experience with her, that woman deserved to feel worshipped.

"No forcing, I think we're going to be more than alright without it," she said reassuringly with a kind smile.

"Also, my only experience with oral and women is completely self-centered or from porn so if I suck, don't hesitate to guide me."

"I do hope you'll suck, babe," the pediatric surgeon smirked as she wiggled her eyebrows, hoping to diffuse some of Amelia's nervousness.

"You're unbelievable. I'm actually talking feelings and insecurities with you and you're making fun of me," Amelia pouted playfully, her bottom lip sticking out.

"I'm so not sorry for this awesome pun. But on a serious matter, you'll do just fine, Amelia," Arizona softly caressed the woman's lower back. "And you know, you don't have to head straight into it, so to speak."

"Well, straight has never really been my forte, honey," the neurosurgeon joked and Arizona rolled her eyes, an amused grin on her lips nonetheless. "Honestly, I like you so much and I want to taste you and make you feel good."

"I like that plan a lot. Just go with what you like and follow your instincts, it worked out pretty well so far for you in life in general," Arizona said tenderly.

"That's the lamest life hack I've ever heard but you're right, I turned out pretty awesome," she leaned in to kiss her.

The blonde softly grabbed Amelia by the hips and rolled them around to be on top. Her tongue found her way into the neurosurgeon's mouth just as hands settled onto her ass, pulling her closer to Amelia. Their legs intertwined on their own accords, and Arizona felt a whimper leaving the other woman now that her naked center was in contact with the blonde's thigh. The position felt so familiar yet, the lack of clothes made it so much more intimate.

Their hips rocked lazily against each others, unhurriedly taking their time. Amelia's thigh pushed more into Arizona and the brunette contracted her thigh muscles to provide a more "hard" surface for Arizona to roll against, silently thanking all of these years of jogging. She felt the pediatric surgeon's want wetting her leg and she couldn't help but feel proud. It seemed the blonde was as turned on as she, herself, was. There was something very thrilling about knowing they were both burning with the same desire. The brunette couldn't take it anymore and gently rolled them around by pushing onto her other leg.

She pulled away from their lip-locked and the grumpy whine that Arizona made quickly turned into a moan when lips wrapped themselves around one of her stiff nipples.

"Fuck, Amelia," she whimpered as her back arched into the touch and one of her hands tangled instinctively into brunette hair.

The neurosurgeon smirked proudly, her tongue darting out to tease the stiff bud and her hand softly cupped her other boob, squeezing it confidently. She felt Arizona's hips grind more harshly into her and her black eyes fluttered shut, entirely focused onto the other woman's caresses. Amelia wandered to her other breast, careful to give it the same attention as its twin.

Lips then explored further south, peppering her skin with soft kisses as they went, like Amelia wanted every square inch of her skin to know she loved it as much as the previous one. While Arizona absolutely loved it, it was also driving her slightly crazy. As she progressed, the neurosurgeon could feel her apprehension slipping away and instead grew more self-assured in her abilities. The plan of her stomach finally mapped, the brunette dropped one last feather light kiss over her pubis before getting herself comfortable. The pediatric surgeon's hands gripped the sheets in anticipation, bracing herself for what was about to come.

Since their very first kiss, the only person she had had sex with was her right hand and while Arizona was all for masturbating, the prospect of having the woman she liked so much touching her right where she was craving her the most was almost making her feel lightheaded. She was almost fearful her heart would thump out of her ribcage.

The brunette spread her thighs, placing them onto her shoulders and moaned once she was finally face to face with Arizona's slit. When the blonde felt a soft kiss being placed next to her right knee followed by another slightly closer on her inner thigh, and another, and another, her hips bucked high into nothingness and her fists clenched the sheets tighter.

"Amelia," Arizona whined, both thankful for the attention yet wanting the other woman to just pick up the pace already. She bit her lower lip to contain the "please, fuck me," that was begging to be vocalized.

Amelia thought the blonde's smooth thighs looked pretty, they looked so much prettier with hickeys covering them though. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Arizona's hips going up and down, taunting her but she concentrated on finishing her piece of art first. Only when she was satisfied with the amount of hickeys and love bites blossoming onto Arizona's pale skin, could she focus on her next goal.

Her tongue darted out and she took a firm lick from the very bottom to the very top of Arizona's sex, her arms wrapping securely around her legs and holding her hips down and her eyes focused on the other woman's face. Arizona's hips bucked into her touch, a soft whimper coming out. It felt weird to taste someone that wasn't her in her mouth, but good weird. She would gladly spend hours here weird. She liked going down on Arizona, Amelia decided then and there. Especially if it meant hearing her name resonating into the room like this and watching Arizona unravel with bliss. So she kept on, the firmer her lick, the louder her name.

Acting on instinct and on personal experience, her tongue converged towards the engorged clit to flick it. She felt the pediatric surgeon's hips fight her grip, trying desperately to lean into the touch but not being able to and her thighs quivered. The brunette wrapped her mouth around the bundle her nerves, sucking it confidently with a soft hum. Arizona almost came here and there and she had never been so thankful that Sofia wasn't in the house because her cries would have alerted her. The fire in her stomach grew with each caress and she could already feel the familiar presages of her climax taking over her body. Arizona shamelessly grabbed her left breast, her fingers expertly playing with the hardened nub.

"Amelia, I'm-I'm going to-," the blonde never got a chance to finish her sentence.

Her eyes rolled in the back of her head, her back arching painfully high off the bed as her whole body contorted with pure pleasure. To Amelia's humble opinion, the look on the other woman's face when she was climaxing was the most magnificent thing she had ever seen. She felt extremely accomplished in this very moment. She slowed down her movements, helping Arizona to come down from her high and eventually pulled away, not without one last kiss onto the apex of her thigh. As her arms unwrapped from Arizona's legs and finally left Arizona's hips, her limbs fell in pretty much the way Jell-O would which made Amelia chuckled.

She kissed her way up and lay on top of the blonde, happy to see Arizona still hadn't quite recovered yet, her breath still heavy, and a wide smile spread onto Amelia's mouth. However, it became evident that Arizona and she didn't have the same plans when the brunette was pushed back onto her back, the blonde's body now on top on her instead of underneath and lips settled on her neck.

Something between a squeal and a whimper left her throat before the neurosurgeon could even try to suppress it. Honestly, she had been so enticed and focused onto the blonde that her desire had unconsciously taken the backseat.

The hint of teeth sinking just above her pulse point got her craving right back in the driver's seat though, totally flooring the gas pedal with no stop sign in sight; she was on the highway towards release. Her head bent backwards, both in pleasure and to give Arizona more space to work with as her hips rose impatiently. She quickly found satisfaction however when the pediatric surgeon's fingertips hiked their way up her inner thigh teasingly. She didn't make herself pry and eagerly opened her legs to accommodate her, rolling her hips again for good measure.

"I had gotten the hint the first time, sweetie," Arizona giggled against her skin and looked up at her with a smirk.

"Shut up," she accused playfully as she blushed furiously and her hand flew to the back of the other woman's neck to kiss her sweetly. Fingers landed delicately on her opening, coating her fingers before strolling up to her clit and drew slow lazy circles around it. "Shit," Amelia half moaned half muttered in surprise as she pulled away from the kiss, her body leaning into the touch.

The pediatric surgeon smirked proudly and her mouth traveled to her lover's chest. Her lips latched onto a firm nipple, her tongue expertly teasing it which earned her a barely audible moan from Amelia and the grip onto her hair tightened in encouragement. Her other breast encountered the same fate soon after and the brunette wasn't sure she had ever had someone pay so much attention to them, to adore them quite the way the blonde was. On one hand, she couldn't wait for Arizona to continue her descent but on the other hand, she never wanted the blonde to go away from her chest. She was simply too good at this sweet torture thingy she was inflicting her.

Finally the blonde made the choice for her. Lips covered her stomach with tender kisses that sent shivers all over her body and the pressure on her clit increased ever so slightly, forcing Arizona's name out of her throat with a breathy moan. She felt her thighs being nudged apart gently and fingers left her most sensitive part without any warning. However, before Amelia could even think of complaining, she felt the other woman's tongue taking over, skillfully exploring her folds. The neurosurgeon's hips bucked wildly into her touch then, trying to get more.

"Fin-fingers, Zona-a," Amelia gasped and her request was immediately fulfilled when two fingers easily thrust into her opening, thanks to the blonde's tireless teasing that had made her more wet than she'd like to confess.

Amelia's body moved intuitively, her hands clenching the sheets tighter and hips shifting with each back and forth to match the blonde's rhythm. The brunette felt herself getting closer and closer to the edge. As if reading her mind, fingers curled upward inside of her and a particularly powerful suck was placed on her bundle of nerve and Amelia knew she was a goner.

Her back arched up in the air and her legs tightened around Arizona's head, inadvertently trapping her as they tried to close up. The information that it was probably unpleasant registered to her dazing brain mid-orgasm so she tried as best as she could to unlock her muscles to leave Arizona some space.

The pediatric surgeon was quite surprised to find out bliss overtaking the brunette's features yet not a single sound was coming out of her mouth, which instead was hanging wide open with a soundless cry. Oh, did she have every intention to make the most of this happy discovery. The blonde softly slowed down her pace, her touch becoming lighter and lighter onto the other woman's clit and eventually pulling away totally, also removing her fingers. Arizona placed one last kiss onto her lower belly and quickly wiped her mouth with her arm and her fingers onto the sheets, mentally marking to change them tomorrow before laying on her side next to the neurosurgeon.

"Damn that was some very good work right there," the brunette said with a dopey smile on her mouth, still somewhere in her descent from cloud nine back to planet Earth.

"Thanks," Arizona gave her a proud smile, happy to have made Amelia feel as good as she had done herself previously.

"I'm definitely leaving you five stars on Yelp."

"You're a dork," the blonde rolled her eyes but giggled at the bad joke anyway. "I'm totally returning the compliment though. Congrats, you're officially awesome at oral."

"Thanks babe, but let's give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, it was mostly teamwork," Amelia replied playfully, feeling very pleased with herself nevertheless. She turned her head to the side to look at the other woman with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I squeezed your brain down there."

"It's okay," Arizona replied as she laid comfortably on top of the other woman, Amelia's legs framing her hips and she planted her chin onto her sternum. "You have strong thighs but you're not exactly the Hulk either, baby."

"You know you suck at compliments, right?" Amelia placed a lost blonde lock back behind her ear, her other hand caringly stroking Arizona's bare shoulder.

"I do?"

"Very much so, but that's okay. I like you a lot anyway," the brunette said earnestly, her eyes never living Arizona's vibrant blue ones.

"Good. I like you a lot too," she tenderly kissed the small space in between the woman's breasts as her fingertips absentmindedly traced the muscles' outlines of Amelia's abs. "What's your secret to stay so fit?"

"I chase my patients around so I can get to them before Derek does," Amelia kidded and flexed them, hearing a small gasp leaving Arizona's lips as she did so.

The brunette suddenly felt irrationally proud to oblige herself to do some abs workout after her usual jog, no matter how much she hated it. She would gladly keep on doing them if it meant electing this kind of reaction from her lover.

"I don't know if I'm more jealous or turned on."

"I work hard for those. I'm just glad that you like them."

"Yeah, like your boyfriends weren't all over it either," the pediatric surgeon deadpanned, her strokes coming to a stop.

"Actually, not that much," she shrugged casually. "They liked the fact that I was thin and sporty but the muscles kind of scared them away. Hurt their pride, I guess."

"I can assure you that it does the exact opposite of scaring me away, Amelia. In fact, you know what? You should only be allowed to wear crop tops."

Amelia laughed wholeheartedly.

"I'm serious," the blonde looked up, nodding confidently at her own proposition "It should be a crime to have this killer set of abs and hide it all day long under those shapeless blue scrubs."

"You can see how crop scrub tops might be a problem though, right?" Amelia raised an eyebrow, a playful grin on her mouth.

"You're right," she scrunched up her nose, obviously disappointed. "I would be way too distracted at work."

"Look at who's becoming a dork," the neurosurgeon teased with a giggle.

"You must be starting to rub off, Sheperd."


	14. INVITATION

**CHAPTER 14 - INVITATION**

"We're going out Thursday night," Arizona announced as she stopped next to Amelia at the nurses' station.

The neurosurgeon's eyes left her patient's file to look up at Arizona with a confused expression on her face. "We are?"

Arizona nodded with a confident smile on. "Yep!"

"Aren't you supposed to be on call Thursday?" Amelia frowned.

"I swapped with Karev," she shrugged. "Thought I might as well make the most of it and take my extraordinary wifey out on a date," she said in a charming voice.

The brunette felt a wave of pure delight spreading into her chest and she couldn't fight off the goofy smile that appeared on her lips as she heard the term of endearment.

"I'm on call tomorrow night though," the blonde pouted and the brunette just had to laugh at the adorable face she was making.

* * *

Arizona was checking on a newborn when she felt two arms wrapping around her midsection and a few wild brunette locks appeared next to her face. She quickly recognized the perfume softly lingering into the air and the other woman placed her chin onto her shoulder, so she turned her head to kiss Amelia's cheek.

"Hi," she greeted as she took her stethoscope out of her ears and let her body melt into the safe embrace.

"Hey, how's your day going so far?"

"Weirdly well actually. No trauma, no emergency C-section, Karev and Wilson finally stopped making out and started working so, you know, that's always a big plus," she joked and Amelia giggled. "What about you?"

The brunette squeezed her gently and let out a moan. "I literally spent the whole day into ORs. Emergency after emergency since I started my shift."

Exhaustion was quite evident in her voice and Arizona squeezed the neurosurgeon's hands, hoping to bring some comfort. Amelia nuzzled at the clad shoulder with her eyes closed, just enjoying the feelings Arizona ignited in her as she rested.

"I can't wait to finally spend some down time with you tonight," the brunette added. "What time are we going out?"

"Pick you up at eight?"

"We live together Arizona," she giggled.

The pediatric surgeon just smiled, satisfied of her little joke and shrugged. "I know."

Amelia didn't need to see her face to know the proud smile she was sporting. "How should I dress?"

"Comfortable. As in sweatpants are definitely on the table if you want and make up is totally optional."

The neurosurgeon squeezed her. "No mandatory make up and sweatpants allowed? Finally, my time to shine has come!" she said playfully before adding on a more serious note, "It truly sounds like a dream date to me right now."

"Hope you'll still think that way once you see where I'm taking you."

"Of course I will. Any date with you is a dream date."

Arizona was glad Amelia had her eyes closed so she couldn't see how hard she was blushing and she had to force down the squeal that was begging to be voiced.

"Casanova much?" she joked badly instead, trying to diffuse the fuzzy warm feeling that was making her awfully tachycardic.

"Oh, I officially evolved from dork to Casanova!" Amelia suddenly came back to life. "Damn, I feel all proud and accomplished right now. My pokémons would be so proud of me. Do I get a bumper sticker or a golden star or something? Oh, should I have a new lab coat embroidered – Dr Casanova, neurosurgeon and part-time love doctor?"

Arizona rolled her eyes but laughed nevertheless. "You know what? Forget I ever said anything. You definitely are a dork."

* * *

Amelia was playing on her phone, laying on the couch as she waited for Arizona to finish getting ready. Because of a last minute in coming trauma, the blonde had come back home just in time to take a shower and jump into comfortable clothes and still be in time for whatever she had planned for them tonight.

When the pediatric surgeon walked out, Amelia pocketed her phone and sat up. As soon as her eyes fell onto Arizona, her heart skipped a beat.

"Which planet are you from? No human being living on this earth can look _this_ good in leggings," Amelia had a glint of admiration floating in her dark blue eyes.

Arizona blushed at the compliment and made her way towards the brunette to stand in between her legs. The brunette grabbed the offered hands and Arizona gently tugged to help her stand up. Once face to face, her lips found her lover's one and pulled her into a delicate kiss while interlacing their fingers.

"You're just saying that because it gives you a good look at my butt," she teased.

Amelia smirked. "Maybe," she replied mischievously. "But you also are so amazing, it's almost supernatural," she kissed the blonde intensely.

Arizona broke the kiss, out of breath. "Stop trying to seduce me, we're going to be late. Let's go."

The blonde grabbed two baskets from the kitchen and they hopped into the car. During the car ride, both women sang along the radio and gently teased each other. When they finally arrived to their destination, Arizona apprehensively looked over at the neurosurgeon. Amelia was shocked yet amazed as she took in the drive-in surrounding them.

"Babe!"

"I take it you like it?" the blonde asked with a cheeky smile.

"Do I like it? I love it! I haven't been to one of these since I was like, twelve," her tone was ecstatic and her eyes were shining.

"I know," she said with a sweet smile.

"You're the best, Arizona," Amelia said lovingly before leaning over the console to kiss her.

Arizona paid for the tickets and they parked towards the back, centered to the big projection screen.

"I have another surprise."

The blonde turned around and grabbed the stuff she had put away onto the backseats earlier. Amelia was once again pleasantly surprised when blankets and an array of food appeared in front of her eyes. She wondered what she had done to deserve all of this. Arizona was so thoughtful and sweet and caring and loving and everything Amelia didn't even know she was longing for.

"You alright?" Arizona asked concerned, her hand squeezing the brunette's thigh in order to bring her back to earth.

"Uh?" Amelia shook her head, coming back to life.

"I asked if you were okay?"

Amelia grabbed the hand on her thigh and bought it to her lips to kiss the pediatric surgeon's palm. She tried to convey how grateful she was feeling.

Dark blue eyes bored into bright blue ones and the brunette stated with a vulnerable and shy voice, "I like you so much."

Arizona could hear and see the openness and sincerity in the other woman's voice and demeanor. She felt her stomach fill with butterflies and the statement made her feel all fuzzy inside. She cupped Amelia's cheek and brought her closer until she could kiss her with the same vulnerability she had just witnessed from her. She kissed her hard, trying to show the other woman that she felt the same way.

As she pulled away, her thumb stroked the neurosurgeon's cheek. "I like you a lot too," she declared confidently with a wide smile and pecked her sweetly on the lips, which proved to be difficult since they were both grinning.

The pediatric surgeon eventually sat straight into her seat again and took out all of the food, littering the car console with it so they wouldn't have to go through the basket every time.

"Blanket?" the blonde asked.

Amelia nodded and immediately burrito-ed herself into the one Arizona had handed her. The pediatric surgeon draped her own blanket on her shoulders and grabbed a doughnut just as the movie began.

Halfway through the movie, Amelia had shifted and was now sitting awkwardly in her seat, her feet propped up onto Arizona's knees who was absent-mindedly rubbing them. As Amelia pulled her blankets closer, half of her naked calves became visible and Arizona frowned.

"Are you not wearing pants anymore?" she asked, baffled.

"I was too hot," Amelia shook her head, her eyes still glued to the screen.

"You literally have two blankets on you. You could simply have taken one off."

"Yeah but blankets are comfier and only my legs were too hot."

Arizona just shook her head at Amelia's absolutely ridiculous logic and giggled. However, she stopped dead when she remembered the brunette's habit to forgo panties.

"Please tell me you're not butt naked on my passenger seat."

Amelia finally turned her head and smirked deviously at the pediatric surgeon. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked, and even with the bad lighting, Arizona could see the spark a mischief in her eyes.

"I swear to God if-"

Amelia lifted the blanket to let her see her underwear. "Relax, babe. Don't get your panties in a twist," she joked before wrapping herself back into the blankets.

"Are those mine?" Arizona frowned.

"I don't have any," Amelia shrugged nonchalantly.

At that, Arizona raised her eyebrows, knowing it was a false statement.

"Not good ones! I only have period panties and I'm _not_ wearing period panties when you're taking me out on a date. Hence the borrowing."

Arizona chuckled. "You know I wouldn't mind though, right?" she asked on a more serious note. "If that's what you feel comfortable in."

Amelia contorted a little to grab her hand. "Babe, I know you wouldn't. But I wanted to feel sexy for this date, which I totally don't in my underwear. They're old and ugly and stained and I should probably by some new ones because I'm pretty sure the waist band is broken for most of them," she said more as a note to herself than anything. "Anyway, I wanted to feel confident and look pretty for you."

"You're cute," Arizona said truthfully and squeezed her hand.

"Plus, what's the advantage of having such a dope-ass and stylish companion like you if I can't borrow your clothes?"

With a smile, the blonde bent to kiss the brunette on the lips.

"Now can we please go back to the movie?" the brunette mumbled without much conviction against her lips before capturing her into another kiss, this time kissing her harder.

"Mmh-mmh, want to make out now," Arizona mumbled back, her voice a few octave lower than usual.

Amelia let out a groan and cupped Arizona's cheek, gently leaning her towards the opposite angle to gain better access as she peppered her neck. She could feel the blood pumping under the tender skin, so naturally she closed her mouth around the pulse point. The blonde felt a wave of arousal run through her body. She let out little whimpers of pleasure and her eyes closed at the sensation.

"You're too far. Come over here," Amelia whispered against Arizona's sensitive skin, her warm breath tickling the flesh.

Stepping over the central console proved itself to be more difficult and to require more suppleness than expected. After a few minutes of clumsiness and embarrassment du to falling over multiple times, the blonde managed to land more or less gracefully on Amelia and straddled her. Seeing her shivering, Amelia grabbed the blanket onto the driver seat and wrapped it around Arizona.

"I'll warm you up, babe," the neurosurgeon promised seductively.

Her lips immediately wandered to the blonde's as her hands hiked up clad thighs until she could seize fleshy buttcheeks. Arizona's own hands floated toward Amelia's belly but barely had she lifted the sweater, was she interrupted by the neurosurgeon.

"Uh-uh," she shook her head. "You," she whispered against her skin, her breath sending tremors on its way.

Lips lost their way once again onto the blonde's neck, forcing her eyes shut along a moan out of her mouth. She rolled her hips impatiently and a hand ran straight in between her legs to oh-ever-so-slowly rubbed her over her clothes. She whined unhappily and opened her eyes to look at her lover.

"Amelia."

She smirked against her collarbone and drifted toward the cleavage in front of her. "What?" she asked sensually, still focused on the yet untouched milky skin.

"Amelia," the blonde said a little more forcefully.

Her serious tone stopped Amelia on her tracks, fingers stilling as she looked up at the blonde with curiosity.

Arizona pointed to the car next to them. "I think we're being watched."

Sure enough, next to them were what Amelia supposed to be a five years old and another little boy only a year or two older, spying them with an intense trying-to-figure-out-what-was-happening look. When they realized they had been spotted, both kids scattered away and returned to their sits, pretending to look at the big screen in front of them with deep interest.

Amelia was the first to break into a full belly laugh and Arizona followed right behind. Eventually, when abs were starting to hurt, they slowed down.

"So much for wanting a little adventure," Arizona joked.

"Movie this time?" Amelia raised an eyebrow and Arizona nodded.

She opened her blanket and Arizona moved to settle in comfortably, her lover's arms wrapped safely around her. She grabbed the coke cup and took a big gulp out of the straw before offering some to the other woman.

They finished their movie quietly and Arizona moved back to the driver sit while Amelia put their stuff back onto the back seats and put her pants back on. The blonde put her prosthetic leg back on and they were driving off to their home.

Once home, both women cleaned the car up. As Amelia was putting the last candy bag away, a set of arms wrapped around her torso.

"Now, I remember starting something earlier," Arizona whispered in her ear.

Thanks to Amelia's ponytail, the blonde could witness the little hair on her the other woman's neck perking up and a proud smile appeared on her face at the reaction. Amelia turned around to look at her.

"Do you now?" she smiled mischievously as her hands came to rest on the pediatric surgeon's hips.

Arizona smiled back just as naughtily at her, if not more and her pupils grew darker. "Maybe I need to refresh your memory," her voice was low which only made Amelia more turned on.

The blonde gently backed her up, effectively trapping her in between the counter and her body. She leaned in and, as her lips brushed against Amelia's ones, she tilted her head at the last moment to wrap them around the skin of her neck.

"Mean," Amelia whined out but leaned into the touch all the same.

Arizona travelled further south, her teeth occasionally sinking gently into the skin. Amelia's hands gripped the counter behind her firmly, so hard that her knuckles turned white. Soon enough, Arizona's mouth trip was cut short by what she was pretty sure was one of Derek's old sweaters. She tugged at the hem of her sweater unhappily and quickly discarded it onto the kitchen floor.

Arizona let out a moan at the sight in front of her. "No bra?" she whined blissfully, her eyes roaming over the newly revealed skin.

Defined abs and erect nipples were on display and she felt her fingers aching to caress them.

"You did say comfortable," Amelia panted out. "Bras don't really fall into that category."

Before she could mutter another word out, the blonde captured a nipple into her mouth and all the brunette could manage was a quiet moan as her back arched, seeking more. One of her hands roamed itself into Arizona's hair and she gently pulled her up to kiss her.

The neurosurgeon lost no time, opening her mouth as soon as their lips had collided, pulling her into a passionate kiss. Arizona being distracted, Amelia seized her opportunity. She grabbed each of her lover's thighs with strong hands and lifted her off the ground. The blonde's right leg automatically wrapped around her midsection and Amelia instinctively helped her counterbalance by securely holding onto her left leg and her other hand left her right thigh to land onto her butt. As they kept on kissing, the brunette transported them to the blonde's bedroom. When she felt her knees hit the mattress, she gently sat Arizona down on it.

The brunette took the blonde's top off and was surprised to see perky nipples staring right back at her.

"I'm not the only one foregoing my bra I see."

Arizona just smiled seductively at her and beckoned her over. She quickly discarded the rest of her clothes and crawled onto the bed on all four, hovering over the pediatric surgeon.

"Hi," she said with a childish smile. "Fancy meeting you here."

Arizona chuckled at the banter and kissed her. Not happy with the distance between them, Arizona drew her closer. Their bodies crashed together and Amelia couldn't contain the small moan that escaped her as she felt hard nipples against her skin. Goosebumps ran along her spine at the feeling.

Her lips eventually left her lover's one and came to wrap themselves onto soft breasts while her hands worked on the other woman's leggings and underwear. She stopped her ministrations to rapidly remove the blonde's last piece of clothing and prosthetic. Finally free, she moved back up on top of Arizona, the blonde's legs framing her hips.

Soon enough though, Arizona flipped them over to be on top. Lips were being bruised and hips were rocking, leaving both women panting hard and moaning. They were battling, each hoping to be the first to bring the other woman over the edge. Hands fumbled onto each other's clit, hips grinded more and more harshly and pleasure slowly yet surely overtook their features. Eventually Amelia came first, her eyes closed and her mouth hanging wide opened, unable to voice anything, which made Arizona smiled proudly.

The pediatric surgeon followed not long after, a particularly loud guttural moan escaping her as she did so, and Amelia's fingers slowed down, helping her ride out her climax. As soon as she was down from her high, her now black eyes opened and they landed onto the neurosurgeon's who was smiled sweetly at her, without a doubt feeling proud of herself.

"Wanna come up here?" Amelia asked, her hands squeezing her lover's butt.

"Give me a few minutes to catch my breath but sure," the blonde chuckled, her body falling on top of Amelia's.

"That good, uh?" the brunette teased and dropped a kiss onto her lover's already slightly sweaty forehead.

She felt the blonde nod against her chest and Amelia softly caressed her lower back, the other woman's uneven breath tickling her skin. After a few moments, Arizona's heartbeat had slowed back down to its normal rate and she detached herself to kiss the brunette. Hands wandered to her chest, fingers grasping her breasts while fingers softly toyed with her nipples. The pediatric surgeon broke the kiss with a groan, Amelia's name filling up the room, a wave of arousal running straight down to her sex once again.

"Up?"

Arizona didn't need to be told twice, she crawled up and carefully straddled Amelia's face, the other woman's hands guiding her down.

Amelia kissed her knee and then asked "Comfy?"

"Yep," Arizona assured as her hands came up to hold the headboard, bracing herself for what she knew was about to come.

The neurosurgeon lowered her slowly closer to her mouth and her tongue explored Arizona's folds. When she heard her name coming out of the other woman's mouth followed by a string of curse words, she felt very pleased and couldn't help but smirk.

Amelia kept on going until the blonde was clenching all over, every muscle locking into place and ecstasy running through her veins. Before Arizona could even think about going anywhere, the strong hands wrapped around her thighs gently pulled her down further, inviting her to stay for more. The neurosurgeon took great pleasure into edging the blonde over and over again before giving her what she needed to climax. To be honest, Arizona wasn't sure if she hated it or loved it. The only thing she was sure about was that her death grip onto her headboard was going to leave a permanent dent.

Eventually, after God only knew how many orgasms, the blonde grew too sensitive and told the neurosurgeon that she couldn't take another one. Amelia strayed away from her clit, sucking love bites on her inner thighs instead, as if the ones already littering them weren't enough to her taste. Arizona let herself go limp and fell onto her side on the bed, her eyes still closed as she enjoyed the last high. She was sweaty and her world had been rocked, now just she wanted to cuddle until she was falling asleep. The neurosurgeon leaned her chest up, her elbows digging into the mattress so she could look at the now glowing blonde better.

"You alright?" she giggled and gently smoothed down a few wild locks out of Arizona's face rather unsuccessfully.

"More than alright," she replied and opened her eyes. Pure bliss was written on her face.

"You should see your hair. It's looking wiiiiiiiiiild," Amelia joked playfully.

"Babe, you're really in no condition to mock me right now. Most of your face is glistening."

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, and whose fault is that?" she smirked.

"Yours! You're a too generous lover," the blonde said teasingly and bent her head up to kiss the brunette on the lips, both giggling.

"Guess I'm guilty as charged," she said smugly and winked. "You just look so fucking marvelous, I can't help myself."

* * *

The phone ringing in the wee hours of the morning effectively woke the trauma surgeon up. Owen patted around, almost hoping whoever was calling would hang up before he would get the unfortunate chance to find his cell phone. Alas, no such luck. He grabbed the offensive device, accepting the call quickly so it would stop screaming.

"Hello?" he asked, his voice thick with sleep and he tried to get his eyes to open.

He felt someone shift next to him on the bed and for a few seconds, he froze, completely frightened, before remembering last night. Amelia. Sheperd and he had been looking at potential flats for him and the next thing he knew, he was out. His eyes fluttered open and sure enough, the neurosurgeon was sleeping beside him. Both of them were still wearing yesterday clothes and his laptop was still sitting in the middle of the bed, out of battery by now. Amelia barely stirred besides him, brows furrowing at the disturbance and she turned away from him.

"Amelia?" a male voice asked on the other side, tone confused.

Owen pulled the phone away from his ear to glance at it, and even in the darkness he recognized his friend's phone, Derek's pouting face shining way too brightly for his liking in the background.

"Uh, hold on," Owen turned around and gently shook Amelia's shoulder. "Derek's on the phone for you."

"Hum?" the brunette frowned grumpily but once her phone was in her hand, she brought it to her ear. "Der, it's too early to call."

"I know. But I've been paging you for the last fifteen minutes and you're not replying so I thought I would give it a try. I need you to come in. 911. Car accident, front to front."

"I'll be right there," she said before hanging up. Grunting, she sat up on the edge of the bed and stretched her arms, "Sorry that it woke you up. I have to go to the hospital. Emergency."

"It's okay. Better you than me. I gotta get my beauty sleep," he teased as he let himself fall back lazily onto his bed, ready to carry on sleeping.

She quickly checked her pager and silently cursed at herself when she saw it had run out of battery.

"Fuck you," Amelia replied playfully and swatted at his knee. "I like that apartment near that farmer's market by the way. Decent size for a decent price and it's not too far from the hospital. You should call to see if it's still available."

"Will do, boss."

She grabbed her purse and dropped a kiss onto his forehead. "See you later, looser."

"See you."

* * *

"Where were you when I called?" Derek asked his sister, determined to find out.

His tone rubbed Amelia in the wrong way. She could have easily said the truth, that she had been at Owen's. It was no secret after all and they were friends. But knowing Derek was prying made her clam up about the subject, so she avoided to answer.

"Out. Clamp please," she grabbed the tool that was handed to her.

"I guess "out" must live close to the hospital then because it didn't take you much time to get here," he teased smugly.

Amelia's hold onto her surgical tools tightened, willing herself to not stab his annoying ass with it. Not with a whole surgical team to witness her at least. When she said nothing, the other neurosurgeon knew he was onto something so he kept on.

"I saw you coming in. You were wearing the same clothes than yesterday."

Her eyes looked up from their patient's brain, her hands stilling. He was pushing it too far and she was getting annoyed. And an OR in the middle of a craniotomy was certainly not the place to get annoyed.

"Derek, I swear to God I'll-"

She didn't have time to finish that the machines cut her short, alarming them that his blood pressure was bottoming out.

* * *

"Amelia? What are you doing here? I thought your shift started at nine?" Arizona asked, surprised but glad nonetheless when she found Amelia in her office.

The brunette got up from the couch and the blonde barely had time to see her face that Amelia flung her body into hers, hugging her with all her might. A few sobs escaped her and Arizona could feel tears smashing down her neck as the other woman buried her head here. Her arms spontaneously wrapped around her and she rubbed her back, hoping to soothe some of the distress away. Arizona kissed the top of her head and whispered soft sweet nothings to her.

Eventually, after a few minutes, Amelia's tears stopped and she looked up at Arizona, her dark blue eyes slightly red now but still as beautiful as always.

"You're feeling better?" the pediatric surgeon asked tenderly and placed a brunette lock back behind her ear before cupping her cheek, her pad of her thumb softly stroking it.

Amelia noticed the fact that Arizona didn't ask her why she had been crying. She never did. Instead, the blonde comforted her and made sure she was feeling better. Arizona was probably the most respectful and caring person Amelia had ever dated and she felt extremely thankful to have her.

"Yes, thank you," she turned her head and kissed the palm of Arizona's hand while her hands found their usual place onto her butt under her lab coat. "Got paged 911 at one AM, my patient died on me, I didn't get my caffeine fix and I still haven't had breakfast so I'm not totally feeling A-okay just yet but being with you is definitely helping."

"I have something that will cheer you up even better," the blonde said with a sweet smile and she fished a lollipop out of the pocket of her lab coat. "I was going to stop by daycare later and give it to Sofia but you seem to need it more than her. Here you go, sweetheart."

"Thanks," while it wasn't exactly what she needed right now, the neurosurgeon still appreciated the gesture and unwrapped it. She groaned happily at the taste. "It's good shit. Where did you get it?"

"Ashley is finally allowed to eat solid food so she's celebrating with candies. You should see her hospital room, it's a real candy factory in there."

"Go big or go home, Zona," Amelia said lightheartedly and took the lollipop out of her mouth, placing it in front of the other woman's mouth to offer her a taste if she wanted to.

Arizona gladly accepted the treat and popped it into her mouth. "It _is_ good. I just hope she won't eat too much and get sick," she handed the candy back to the neurosurgeon.

After a few moments of silence, Amelia took the lollipop out of her mouth and spoke, "Derek thinks I'm seeing someone."

At that, Arizona frowned, not really sure what to make out of the statement.

"A male someone," Amelia said apologetically, her nose scrunching up. "Owen picked up my phone when it rang this morning and Derek has been snooping ever since. Thank God he didn't recognize Owen's voice."

While the brunette was trying to act all easy-peasy about it, the other woman could tell she felt uncomfortable about the situation.

"It's okay, Amelia. It's not your fault, you can't help it if Derek is being an ass. We haven't been together for long, I don't expect anything," her vibrant blue eyes held nothing but truth and fondness and Amelia couldn't help the small butterflies that erupted in the pit of stomach.

"I know you don't," she squeezed Arizona's ass. "And it's not about you being a woman. Man or woman, I'd still feel the same way. I want to have time for us to be… us. Explore those growing feelings at our own pace before being thrown into other people's expectation about our relationship, you know? And I wish Derek would stop trying to shove Owen towards me. It's already hard enough for him to get over his feelings for me and move on. Derek's being so insistent and I can tell it's hurting him. Owen's my friend, I don't like seeing him like this."

"Don't ever change," Arizona said and leaned in until her lips landed onto Amelia's soft ones, pulling her into a tender kiss. "You're always so thoughtful and sensitive, it's just- I like this so much about you."

"No, I like _this_ so much about _you,_" Amelia replied, smiling from ear to ear.

"Agree to disagree on this one?"


	15. ARROW

**CHAPTER 15 - ARROW**

Amelia was reviewing her last scans of the day when Arizona came in, looking as cheerful as ever.

"Hi there, beautiful. I just finished my shift, do you have for long yet?" she asked to the brunette joyfully.

Amelia couldn't stop the small blush that appeared on her cheeks at the small pet name. "I want to finish reviewing those scans first. Give me twenty minutes?"

"Sure," the blonde agreed with a warm smile. "I'm going to change, I'll be right back."

Barely five minutes later, she came back dressed in her civilian clothes, the faint smell of disinfectant that stuck to surgeons' skin like their shadows lingering into the air. Arizona took a sit onto the swivel chair next to the brunette and happily watched her examining the X-rays with great focus: the black pen in between Amelia's lips that she was biting on, the small crease in between her eyebrows that deepened whenever she tilted her head to the side in seriousness, the recognizable and ever still present glint of passion dancing in her dark blue eyes whenever the neurosurgeon was staring at a brain or a spine… God, did she adore this mesmerizing woman.

"Quit staring at me, it's creepy," the brunette said, not taking her eyes off the computer's screen.

"I'm not staring, I'm thinking."

"Thinking about what?" her eyebrows furrowed slightly and she squinted her eyes to have a better look at something on the screen.

"How much I want to eat your pussy."

That reply definitely got Amelia's full attention and her eyes finally looked over at Arizona next to her who was sporting a dopey smile.

"And they dare say romance is dead," Amelia chuckled.

Arizona profusely blushed and cringed at herself, "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes, you did, Zona," Amelia laughed hard. The other woman's reddened dimples were too cute to be ignored so she leaned in closer and pecked one. "It's alright. I like it when you eat my pussy," she winked and went back to her scans, enjoying the small squeak that escaped Arizona's lips.

* * *

"How was school today, sweetheart?" Arizona asked as she glanced into the rearview mirror to get a look at her daughter sitting in the backseat.

Both surgeons had officially ended their shifts and had swung by daycare to grab Sofia before heading back home.

"I ate like ocho chicken nuggets at lunch! Laura didn't want hers so she gave them to me. I felt like my barriga was about to explode all manana long," the little exclaimed and rubbed her belly.

"So that's why the car is leaning way more than usual on the right. It was you all along," the neurosurgeon teased and Arizona swatted at her while Sofia giggled at her awful joke.

"Don't listen to Amelia baby, she's being silly. You're perfect the way you are."

"I know, mommy. You tell me _all_ the time," Sofia said with a roll of eyes but a smile on her lips nonetheless.

"Well, mommy's right. You're the bestest daughter, she's allowed to brag. God knows I do it all the time."

"You brag about _me_?" Sofia frowned, a tad confused.

"To who?" Arizona asked then, surprised by the confession but her heart swelled up in her chest.

Somehow, bragging felt like the ultimate parent privilege at this very moment. Like bragging about Sofia was the ultimate sign that Amelia considered her daughter hers too. To know that the other woman loved her daughter so much only made her feeling towards the brunette grow expotienally.

"I don't know, everyone? Patients, nurses, doctors, Derek?" Amelia shrugged nonchalantly as she parked the car. "Let's go inside and have dinner, I'm starving!"

* * *

Sophia's bedtime couldn't come soon enough in Amelia's opinion. Not when Arizona was teasing her like this. On one hand, the neurosurgeon absolutely loathed it but on the other, she didn't want it to stop.

Arizona's arms wrapped around her midsection and her mouth found that perfect sensitive spot onto her neck as she was cutting down some carrots which made her loose her grip onto her knife for a few moments. She could hear Sofia softly playing into her room, no doubt with her dollies, so it really didn't feel much like a surprise when the pediatric surgeon's hands made their way under her shirt and gently hiked up until she found her breasts, gently squeezing them over her bra.

"Arizona," she tried to sound firm but her voice was far too breathy to be convincing and the way her body leaned into the touch killed all the credibility she was trying so hard to muster. "I'm going to end up cutting one of my fingers if you keep distracting me."

Arizona's mouth sucked harder onto that tender spot where her neck met her left shoulder and hands seized her boobs more firmly. Amelia found herself wanting to take her words back, she didn't want this to stop.

"You're right, it's getting dangerous. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. Plus, I might need those later," the blonde scrambled away with a knowing smirk. "I'm going to give Sofia her bath."

Amelia whined as the other woman shifted away and pouted. "You're playing dirty, Robbins," she complained, her arousal calming down.

"You haven't seen the half of it," she said smugly and turned around, leaving the kitchen. "SOF'? BATH TIME HONEY!"

* * *

The fingers running up and down Amelia's thigh underneath the table at dinner were slowly but surely driving her insane. Arizona's touch was feather like yet it was enough to leave her wanting more and the small fire in the pit of her stomach grew with each passing second.

"Yes! Mamá says I can be a bone doctor like her if I want to because I'm so good already," Sofia replied to whatever question Arizona had asked her and that the brunette had been too distracted to register.

"Do you want to be bone doctor?"

The little girl looked at the blonde like she was crazy, her eyebrows shooting up. "Mommy, I'm six. I don't even know what my favorite animal is."

At that, both women laughed.

"Of course, baby. But just because Mamá says you're very good at learning the names of bones doesn't mean you're not good at other stuff, okay?"

"I know, mommy."

"Want to learn some awesome stuff about brains?" Amelia asked, thankful that the blonde's hand on her thigh had finally stopped its to and fro to simply rest on it tenderly.

"Porque? Brains are lame," she scrunched up her nose and took a bite. "Do you know that sometimes Mamá gets to use a screw gun and pins to fix people? That's like, so cool!"

"She owned you so bad babe," Arizona whispered into the other woman's ear as she tried her hardest to stiffen her laugh and affectionately kissed her temple, happy to see shivers appearing and the baby brunette hair behind her neck coming up.

"Shut up!" the brunette said playfully, trying to hide how badly Arizona's actions affected her. "Don't encourage her. Brains are anything but. In fact, without a brain, you wouldn't be able to learn the names of the bones, ha!"

Sofia pursed her lips before saying pointedly, "Bones are still better."

"How about bones _and_ brains both suck and kids are the best?"

"Kids cry all the time," Sofia scrunched her face, obviously doubtful.

"And they throw up all the time too," Amelia added. "Even bones are better than kids."

"You're a kid, you should be on my side!" she said to her daughter with a pout. Amelia gently squeezed her hand and both brunettes let out a small chuckle. "You suck. Both of you. Let's just settle for they're all amazing and valid?"

"Whatever helps you sleep better at night, Zona," Amelia giggled.

* * *

Reading Sofia her bedtime story turned out to be the first moment of tranquility Amelia's sex drive was having tonight since they had come back home. The brunette honestly was glad when the little girl was sleeping after only five pages but also felt kind of bad for having wished that her daughter would fall asleep fast so she could have sex with her lover. What kind of parenting was that?

Barely was she out of her bedroom and the door was closed, she was under attack. Amelia found herself trapped in between Arizona's body and the hard cold wall of the corridor behind her, Arizona's soft curves melting against hers. The pediatric surgeon's mouth immediately strolled onto her collarbone, gently sucking the smooth skin she found there and only letting go before her harsh kisses could leave a trace.

"You're a fucking tease," the brunette accused breathily.

"You love every bit of it," the blonde whispered against her neck and her lips sealed onto her pulse point.

Hands traveled down Amelia's back and when she thought they were going to stop on her buttocks, she was surprised when they went further south and grabbed the back of her thighs, confidently grabbing them to help her up. The brunette's legs wrapped themselves around the other woman's torso on their own accords and her arms snaked around her neck for support. Amelia couldn't help the small moan that escaped her in surprise, a wave of arousal going straight to her lower belly. Arizona had never picked her up like this before, it had always been the other way around. Arizona's prosthetic and added weight didn't make for very good balance.

"I haven't picked up a woman like this in a while and the last time I did, we fell down. So if we end up on the floor, you know, not my fault."

"We'll just have to practice more often then," the neurosurgeon replied before crashing their lips together.

Amelia's ability to always say the right thing made butterflies flutter in the pit of Arizona's belly, her heart beating fast against her sternum. Confidence now up, she was more determined than ever to transport them securely to her bedroom and make love to this perfect woman. Eventually, they arrived safe and sound, only bumping into one thing on their way. Her knee hit the mattress and Arizona softly lied them down onto the bed.

"I haven't find time to shave my leg this week, so just pretend my hair isn't there and ignore the small hedgehog feeling."

The word week made them both suddenly realize that it had indeed been a week. Well, more like nine days but who was counting? Between their crazy schedules, their crazier hours and Sofia, the only moment they had found for themselves was that one quickie when Amelia had gotten back home at three AM a few days ago. No wonder Amelia's body was reacting so quickly to Arizona's caresses.

"Sweetheart? I know," Amelia chuckled. "We slept in the same bed yesterday. I honestly don't give a flying fuck if you forget to shave or simply wanna let it grow, it's just hair. You'll still be sexy as fuck in my eyes. Now, will you please eat me out? Unless you have anything else you want to share?"

Arizona hungrily kissed her in lieu of a verbal reply.

* * *

Arizona came home a little early since her last surgery had been cancelled and honestly, she knew she shouldn't be but she was kind of glad because she was feeling beyond exhausted. She had just pulled a long-ass shift with almost only back-to-back surgeries. Her left thigh was painful from standing up for so long, she had had next to no sleep last night and she had been running low on caffeine. To top it all off, Amelia had had today off, which meant there had been no sneaking around to kiss her and be comforted or to whine to. Instead, here she was, one big ball of grumpiness and tiredness.

As soon as she opened the front door, she could hear her daughter's and Amelia's happy voices and laughters coming from the corridor. Almost instantly, she felt her inner tension diffuse, the familiar and delighted sounds making her tensed muscles relaxed and work took the back sit in her mind. She took her shoes and coat off and went to investigate, impatient to discover what was earning Amelia so many giggles from their daughter.

It lead her straight to the blonde's bedroom where Amelia was basically doing the plane with Sofia flying up in the air. The brunette was laid onto her back, all limbs up. Her hands were firmly holding Sofia's, her legs were bend slightly and her feet were steadily settled onto the kid's hips. They were both into their pajamas and Amelia was acting out as the pilot apparently, moving her arms and legs around to shift the little girl up in the air.

"Pigeon on la izquierda captain!" Sofia cried out happily.

"Oh no! I'm making a hard right co-captain, hold on tight to your seatbelt!" she shifted her limbs to tilt Sofia lightly to the right, making a loud and ridiculous motor noise with her mouth.

No matter how down she felt, Amelia and Sofia never failed to make her smile. The neurosurgeon had no idea how good she was with her daughter. Always making her feel safe and loved and always trying to get more chuckles out of her. It made butterflies erupt in her stomach to see her partner give her daughter as much importance as she did. To see her being a mother to a daughter that overtime, was slowly becoming hers too. Her heart swelled up into her chest.

"So this is what nighttime is like when I'm not here, huh?" Arizona smirked from the doorway.

"Mommy!" Amelia descended the kid down and Sofia ran up to hug Arizona's legs. "Amelia said you were working esta noche."

The blonde pushed a few wild locks away from her daughter's eyes. "I was supposed to but I finished earlier. And I'm glad 'cause I almost missed your little party guys," Arizona sat on the bed next to a smiling neurosurgeon, Sofia instantly climbed onto her mother's knees as the blonde kissed Amelia's cheek. "Hello sweetheart."

"Hey," Amelia smiled, relaxed. "How are you?"

"Perfect now that I'm home," Arizona tenderly squeezed her lover's thigh.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?" the brunette asked.

She shook her head.

"There are some leftovers in the fridge waiting for you then. Come on missy," Amelia playfully poked the little girl's side, "kiss mommy good night. Time to go to sleep! It's way past your bedtime."

"But mommy just came home? Can she tuck me in instead?" Sofia asked, her head falling in the crook of Arizona's neck and she gripped her a little tighter, not wanting to be separated after having seen her for only a few minutes.

Amelia looked at Arizona questioningly.

"I've got this."

"Alrighty then! Whichever you want little dude. Nighty night," she dropped a kiss onto her forehead and another one onto the top of her cute little button nose, which made Sofia chuckle. She looked up at the blonde and got up. "I'm going to fix you a plate meanwhile."

Sofia waved sleepily at her. "Nighty noche 'Melia."

"Sweet dreams princess," the brunette waved back before walking out of the room for good, giving them some alone time.

When the blonde emerged from their daughter's room a few minutes later, Amelia was sitting at the table with a warm plate sat next to her and two wine glasses out, without a doubt ginger ale in Amelia's, and the end of the red wine bottle April and her had opened a few nights ago in hers. Arizona took place next to her and softly grabbed her chin to pull her towards her until she could kiss her properly, like she had longed for all day.

One of the neurosurgeon's hand fell onto her hip while the other strolled onto her neck and finished its course just under her jaw. Arizona let out a happy sigh into the kiss before pulling away.

"I missed your pretty face today. No one to coax me in on-call rooms and cheer me up."

Amelia chuckled. "You're home now, I'll cheer you up tonight," the brunette winked. "And I missed you too. I hate having days off when you're working and Sofia's at school. Makes me feel like a '50 housewife. All I did were home chores all day and sit around impatiently waiting for my kid and my woman to come back."

"Did you-"

"Yes, I did wash up all of our sheets and put them back on. It may be quicker but it's also way less funnier when you're not helping me by the way," she pouted playfully.

"You're perfect," Arizona chuckled. "I want to wife you up so hard right now."

"Your gay is showing, sweetie," Amelia laughed and pecked her and put some distance in between them. "Now eat up before it gets cold."

"So is doing the plane something usual or should I get worried?" Arizona raised an eyebrow and took a bite.

"Well, you're awesome at books and voices and Callie's really good at lullabies so I gotta try to have my own thing."

"And what's that exactly? Make her hyper?"

"My technique is a little deeper than that. It's more of an over-stimulating-her-until-she falls-asleep-from-exhaustion-thingy."

"Does it actually work?" the pediatric surgeon giggled.

"It's still on on-going trial. I don't have enough data yet since I'm rarely alone to tuck her in. Does amazing onto the giggles front though."

"That I don't doubt. You're really good at making the Robbinses laugh."

"Good because I like hearing them laughing a lot."

"This is really good food by the way," Arizona said with a little mouthful.

"Almost entirely Sofia's doing, glad you like it."

"Taste a lot like…" she paused, trying to remember why it tasted so familiar.

"Callie's?" Amelia provided. "That's because she gave me her recipe. Secret's spices."

Arizona looked at her with a weird look as she took a sip of wine.

"What?" Amelia asked, frowning.

"Nothing. It's just… weird that you're friend with my ex-wife."

"Would you rather we tear each other apart every time our path cross?" she quirked an eyebrow up, her tone playful.

"No, of course not. It's a really good thing and I'm really glad that you two get along. I just… I never expected to find a significant other any time soon, you know? Never mind a woman who would treat my kid as their own _and_ would get along with Calliope."

"Seems to me like you won the jackpot," Amelia said smugly with a smirk.

Arizona giggled and leaned to peck her cheek. "I really did," she told onto a more serious note.

Amelia squeezed her thigh and smiled tenderly. "Callie was and still is an important part of yours and Sofia's lives. She was the most important person in your life for a significant amount of years. You guys went through so much together. A car accident, a baby, loosing Mark, raising a kid, your amputation… She was right there by your side for all those milestones in your life. And even if it didn't work out between you two, she helped you become who you are today. I kind of owe her for making you _you_. The woman that makes my belly flutters with millions of butterflies when I see her smiling at me from across the hospital hall. And yeah, I sometimes get a little jealous knowing she used to have sex with you," she scrunched up her nose, "but most of the time I'm alright. She's a really great person and I can understand why you fell in love with her. I respect that. Just like you understand and respect my past with Ryan and Christopher."

Arizona felt like her heart was being squeezed tight into her chest. Behind her dorky and sometimes childish behavior, Amelia was hiding a very wise and caring side. The blonde knew her singular relationship with Callie could be source of many problems but to hear Amelia talk about it, it clearly wasn't and probably never would be. It felt like a relief to have the other woman accept the past she shared with the latina. Arizona really did hit the jackpot with Amelia Sheperd.

"I like you so, so goddamn much." Arizona replied, her voice vulnerable as she squeezed Amelia's hand resting onto her thigh. "I get these stupid butterflies too by the way."

"Yeah?" Amelia smiled at her goofily.

"Yeah."

"Good. Now please talk medicine and ORs with me? Today was so boring that I kept daydreaming about neurosurgery," she let out a pensive sigh.

"Of course you did," the blonde teased. "What do you want to hear first? Pyloric stenosis or biliary atresia?"

* * *

Amelia came back from the bathroom only to find the blonde fast asleep, spread all over her half of the bed, hugging a pillow close to her like it was a cuddle toy. The blonde had been feeling so exhausted, Amelia couldn't say she was really surprised. The brunette quickly snapped a picture, the pediatric surgeon looked way too adorable not to. She then climbed in next to her, as still as possible since the other woman was a light sleeper and she would hate to wake her up. She kissed a clad shoulder as her arm snaked around Arizona's midsection, and Arizona let out a sleepy yet pleased moan in her sleep and wiggled herself back until she was into the neurosurgeon's secure embrace, her mind already halfway to dreamland.

However, the blonde was woken up into the wee hours of the morning. She had been disturbed, not really knowing why at first. Then, she heard the other woman's whimpers and she turned the bedside lamp on and turned around confused, silently hoping that Amelia wasn't having a nightmare.

"Amelia?" she asked groggily.

She was met with the brunette's back, but Amelia was moving and she kept on groaning. Arizona sat up, obviously worried, and gently shook the other woman awake.

"Amelia? Are you alright?" she asked, still half asleep.

The neurosurgeon turned around, looking wide awake and a look of surprise on her face.

"Shit, sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Light sleeper," she rubbed her eyes as she tried to understand what was going on.

"I'm sorry," Amelia said with an apologetic face. "I know you're feeling dead tired," she pushed a blonde lock behind Arizona's ear and kissed her on the lips sweetly.

"Were you having a nightmare?" her hand come to settle on Amelia's bareback, moving her thumb back and forth in a comforting way.

Her eyebrows furrowed on her sleepy face, care shining in her eyes and Amelia felt even guiltier that she had woken her up.

"Not exactly, sweetheart," Amelia chuckled and she shook her head. "Had a pretty intense wet dream and couldn't go back to sleep. I decided to just, you know, rub this one out," she shrugged.

"Oh," the pediatric surgeon immediately relaxed at the good news, a wave of relief running through her. "I guess that would explain the moaning too."

"Sorry, I tried to be quiet," her face didn't seem even remotely close to sorry though, instead looking more horny than anything.

"S'alright. I'm just glad it wasn't a nightmare," the blonde squeezed her back and smiled at her but was unfortunately interrupted by a yawn. "Do you need help or…?"

"Babe, I know you just pulled off a long ass shift, go back to sleep. I can take care of myself," she squeezed the other woman's hand.

"Wow, you really know how to make a girl feel secure about her sexual abilities," Arizona said rather coldly and turned around, her back facing Amelia, obviously upset.

"Oh come on. You know that's not what I meant," she gently grabbed Arizona's arm and turned her around until the blonde was laying on her back and her bright blue eyes were looking up at hers.

Arizona tried to turn onto her side again but the brunette stopped her by moving on top of her.

"I'm tired Amelia, let me go back to sleep," she sighed tiredly and angrily at the same time.

"Huh-huh," Amelia shook her head and one of hand came to stroke the pediatric surgeon's temple. "Not like this. Not when we're in the middle of fighting."

"Fine," Arizona rolled her eyes in annoyance and she could feel her inner anger growing. "You like masturbating more than having sex with me. Argument's over. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Look at me," Amelia waited until her lover looked at her in the eyes. She could see the small fire burning in them, she knew it was irritation rather than the usual desire. "When was the last time you did it? Masturbate, I mean."

"I don't know. Two weeks ago or so?" she yawned again and shrugged.

"And are you planning on doing it again?"

Arizona gave her a pointed look, "Go to the point Amelia, I'm tired."

"My point is, we both obviously have a healthy sex life. Great amazing transcendent sex with a little side of solo fun," she said with a smirk. "Now, when I'm feeling hot and bothered in the middle of the night and you're all yawning and sleepy because you just pulled off a long shift, it feels cruel to force you to stay awake just because I'm selfish and I need an orgasm right now. I don't like playing with myself more than I like having sex with you, I love both. Jacking off is actually a decent option from time to time."

Her anger slipped away at the brunette's words, instead being replaced with love and appreciation. Amelia probably had no idea how cute she was.

The blonde pouted, her bottom lip sticking out. "Sometimes your consideration is astonishing," her hands wandered onto the brunette's bare back, her fingers stroking Amelia's lower back tenderly.

"Thanks," she smiled and kissed the blonde languidly. "Wait, that's a good thing right?" Amelia asked, frowning.

"Yes," she chuckled and kissed the brunette softly once more. She softly bit onto Amelia's lip, her tongue invading the brunette's mouth as her left hand came up to caress her cheek.

"Go back to sleep baby," the brunette whispered and slipped back to her side of the bed, laying on her back. "I know you're dead tired."

"Yeah, like I can go back sleep with you touching yourself right next to me. That's never going to work out," Arizona turned onto her side and before Amelia could say anything, plump lips wrapped around her neck.

Having not expected it, the neurosurgeon's hand flew into honey blonde hair, her fingers tangling into it as her short nails delicately scratched the other woman's scalp, loving the small hint of teeth she was feeling against her skin. She tilted her head backwards, giving her more space to work with.

"Arizona," the brunette whimpered.

She had been so close to release when Arizona had interrupted her that any more waiting felt like pure torture. The blonde pulled away and the brunette could feel her smirk against her skin.

"Shhh, it's all alright. You just keep focusing on making yourself feel good, I'm only here to help," the blonde whispered and her mouth attached itself back to Amelia's collarbone.

There was something about hearing Arizona telling her to fuck herself and watching her do so that felt utterly arousing. Well, that and the fact that her husk voice did absolutely nothing to help her situation down there. Her hand gripped Arizona's hair more firmly and forced her to detach herself from the crook of her neck to harshly crash her lips against hers instead.

Not needing to be told twice, her other hand returned right back where it had been a few minutes earlier. She noticed she had grew significantly wetter and more sensitive and couldn't help the small whimper that escaped the back of her throat as her fingertips made contact with her clit.

"Does it feel good, sweetie?" Arizona asked tenderly to her lover.

Not trusting herself to utter something other than gibberish, Amelia simply nodded, her eyes searching for the blonde's. When she found them, she could see that the usual blue irises she cherished so much had transformed into two black pools of desire. Fingertips trailed up her belly and her ribcage and Amelia's back arched up into the touch, craving more. Arizona's hand eventually settled onto her breast, fingers teasing not-so-softly her already hardened nipple.

"That's great, 'Melia. God, you look so beautiful like this. I could stare at you all day long and it still wouldn't be enough," the pediatric surgeon's murmured against her skin and then proceeded to pepper her way down her neck onto her chest to land onto her target, Amelia's other nipple.

Arizona carefully wrapped her lips around the sensitive bud, watching Amelia's eyes rolling back into their sockets, the thousands of shivers running onto her smooth skin and the not so subtle rocking of her hips intensifying. The grip tightened into her hair and it only spurred Arizona more.

"Keep going baby. You're doing so great, I'm so proud of you."

The blonde kept on loving her lover's skin, being nowhere and everywhere at the same time which drove the brunette crazy. Every time she tried to lean into her touch, it would vanish into thin air only to reappear onto another sensitive spot a few seconds later. Amelia's fingers wandered lower, leaving her engorged clit to enter her opening. A moan made its way out as she started to pump back and forth into herself, her palm pressing deliciously against her clit with each stroke.

Arizona felt a change in her lover and could tell she was growing closer and closer of her climax. She sucked harder onto the tender skin beneath her lips, knowing she was going to leave a nasty hickey but not caring in the least. When she was satisfied with her work, she let go and softened her bite with her tongue. The blonde saw Amelia's hips rolling quicker and hastier, her moves losing their focus as her mind grew foggier with want without a doubt.

"It's okay, baby. You deserve it, there's no need to fight it," Arizona whispered lovingly into her ear and dropped a kiss onto her temple. "Don't hold back, you can let go."

The encouraging words were all Amelia needed to tip over the edge and her release finally overtook her. The neurosurgeon's whole body tensed up, her eyes fluttered shut tight, her back arched painfully high and her mouth fell opened, not a sound coming out. Her thighs closed up around her wrist, trapping it in place as she slowed down her rhythm.

Arizona placed a hand onto her lower belly, feeling the muscles tensing up right underneath it and she softly rubbed the skin with her thumb as Amelia rode out her orgasm. After a few moments, the neurosurgeon came back to her senses and took her hand out of herself and let her body go limp onto the mattress. Before she could even think of wiping her fingers onto the sheets, Arizona caught her hand and brought them up to her mouth, licking the digits clean and letting go.

"You feeling better?" she asked sweetly with a beaming smile as she tenderly brushed the brunette's hair.

"Definitely sated, that's for sure," Amelia said, still into her post-coital bliss and cuddled into Arizona. "We should do that more often."

"Having wet dreams?" the blonde joked.

Amelia nudged at her ribcage playfully. "I meant masturbate together, dumbass," she yawned.

"Ready to go back to sleep now, baby?"

"Yep."

The blonde turned off the light and barely a few minutes later, both of them were back into Morpheus' arms.


	16. SAY MY NAME

**CHAPTER 16 – SAY MY NAME**

"At first, I didn't want to tell him because it was new and I was scared that it wouldn't last because I would screw it up. But now, it's been a few months and I'm tired of sneaking around all the time. Arizona has been an angel about the whole thing but honestly, I don't know how much time I can keep this going on. It's tedious. I just want to be able to kiss her at lunch break."

"Derek won't care, Amelia," Owen said reassuringly before taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"That you think," Amelia gave the redhead a pointed look, using her fork to point at him. "The last time I presented him my boyfriend, he thought he was a tool and scared him half to death. I mean, Der was right but still. I don't want him to scare Arizona away. She's the best thing that happened to me in a while."

"Then, you tell him exactly that. Look, maybe he'll get a little mad at first but he'll come around. Look at Mark and Lexie! When Mark told him they were dating, he punched him in the face, but eventually he understood."

"HE WHAT?!" her yell earned them a few stares from the other people around the cafeteria and she looked around apologetically. "Oh my god, Owen. What if he punches Zona? He can't punch her, right? She's too pretty to be punched in the face."

Owen cursed himself silently. Why did he bring that incident up? "The point is, he came around. Because he loved Mark and he loved Lexie. Just like he loves you and Robbins," Owen squeezed her hand on the table. "You just have to rip the band aid Amelia."

"Rip the band aid," Amelia repeated confidently, trying to convince herself at the same time.

Suddenly, a tray appeared next to him and Derek sat down next to Owen.

"How's my favorite little sister?" he asked way too happily, noticing Owen's hand onto his baby sister's.

"What do you want Derek?" Amelia glared at him.

"Mer and I thought about going away next week-end, just the two of us. We were wondering if you would be okay with baby-sitting?"

"Sure. You know I love those kids."

"You're the best," he said in lieu of thank you.

"I know. I'm awesome," she smirked at her brother.

Amelia saw Arizona and Callie arriving in the line at the cafeteria from the corner of her eyes. Both women waved at her and when Arizona smiled widely at her, the brunette's whole face lighted up.

"What's going on with you?" Derek frowned at her sister.

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked back, confused.

"I don't know. You've been acting all cheery and smiley lately. Don't you think so Owen?"

Suddenly included into the conversation, the trauma surgeon looked uncomfortably between the two of them, not knowing where to stand. He scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously.

"I-uh, no. I haven't notice anything different. I don't know," he tried to shrug nonchalantly but wasn't nearly as effortless as he had hoped it to appear. "Same old Amelia to me."

God, was he a bad actor, Amelia thought and she rolled her eyes. Derek's frown deepened at his friend's attitude. He could tell Owen was lying through his teeth, and he was pretty sure it had something to do with his sister. Derek was far from blind. He had seen him and Amelia grow closer and closer since she had moved to Seattle, often hanging out together. The neurosurgeon was happy for them, Amelia had been smiling a lot more lately, truly smiling, and she seemed lighter, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. He didn't understand why his sister was trying so hard to keep it under wraps though.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Hunt?" Derek asked half- jokingly and half-seriously, hoping his friend would crack.

"Rip the band aid," he mouthed to Amelia and stood up, having eaten only a third of his lunch. He could handle one Sheperd, but two of them at the same time and a dirty secret in the middle was too much pressure so he decided to get away before outing his friend by mishap. "Would you look at the time?" he said and looked down at his wrist, noticing that he didn't have his watch on a second too late and quickly scattered away, mortified.

"Is Owen okay?" the man was growing a little concerned.

Amelia waved him off. "He's fine. He's being a drama queen," she caught the pediatric surgeon and Callie happily chit-chatting a few tables behind them and took a deep breath before looking her brother in the eyes, "I have something important to tell you."

Derek had to physically repress a squeal and the knowing smile that was trying to form.

"What is it?" he asked smoothly instead.

"I-," rip the band aid Amelia, rip the goddamn band aid, "I think you should clip Mrs. Mills aneurysm," she heard herself saying instead and her eyes fell instantly onto her salad, trying to hide the disappointment she was feeling towards herself and the few angry tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.

"You think I should clip your aneurysm?" his brows furrowed. "That's what you wanted to tell me?"

"I-uh, yeah. Wow, would you look at the time? Sorry, I have to go," she stood up and left quickly, not daring to look at her brother, too afraid he would be able to read her every emotions.

* * *

She tried. She tried so hard. But it was like the words were getting stuck in her throat every time, and her brain had to come up with something else on the spot instead.

"I think Zola's in love with a boy in her class. Tommy something."

"I think you should do Mrs Duval's surgery."

"I'm going to the restroom."

"I could use some fresh eyes on Mr Wu's case."

* * *

Eventually came the time for Derek and Meredith get-away-weekend. Since Amelia and Arizona both had Saturday off, they had decided to head to the park. Midway through the car trip though, Amelia got call in for a consult so the pediatric surgeon drove them to the hospital.

"Well, this is my stop. You guys have fun at the park. Not too much fun, though."

"Do you have for long?" Zola asked before Arizona had a chance to.

"Probably not, it's supposed to be a simple check up, buddy. I'll join you at the park once I'm done, okay?"

"'Kay," Bailey said, a little upset but understanding.

"Bye kiddos!" she waved at the kids and they all waved back, Ellis babbling happily. She then turned towards Arizona and kissed her cheek. "See you later, sweetheart."

"Go kick that tumor's ass. We'll see you later."

"You know I always do."

* * *

Zola and Bailey helped Arizona grab the few toys out from the trunk. Bailey proudly balanced the box on top of his head, Zola carefully watching him, while Arizona tucked Ellis against her front into the baby carrier. The African American little girl found a good spot for them in between the trees, neither too far from the pond nor too far from the play area. Once they had laid the blanket down, both kids immediately took the hardened bread and bolted to the pond to feed the ducks.

The blonde sat down, mindful to not wake Ellis who had fallen asleep during the short walk. Her head was pillowed right in between the blonde's breasts and her pacifier was slightly hanging out of her mouth. Honestly, the pediatric surgeon was quite thankful that Ellis wasn't a drooler. She quickly snapped a picture and sent it to the brunette.

**Arizona: Isn't she the cutest thing?**

**Amelia: Damn, your boobies look HUGE compared to Ellis' head**

**Arizona: Of course you would point that out**

The neurosurgeon could guess the roll of eyes that went along with the text.

**Amelia: you're totally a MILF ;-)**

**Arizona: you text like a straight white boy sometimes**

**Amelia: I was joking baby please don't be mad :( ****Ellis looks darn adorable and I'm a little jealous honestly I'm tired and she looks comfy AF**

**Arizona: You wouldn't be this tired if you hadn't kept on insisting on just one more over and over again last night**

**Amelia: Didn't really hear you complaining. Quite the contrary actually**

**Arizona: I'm definitely not, you are**

**Amelia: Hush, let the badass neurosurgeon work in peace**

A selfie was attached, Amelia was standing in front of an array of brain scans, doing a peace sign and winking. A child. She was dating a child. Arizona giggled to herself and pocketed her phone back. She hesitated for a while and finally decided to let Ellis sleep into the baby carrier, too afraid to unleash a mountain of snot and tears if she accidently woke her up. She eyed Zola and Bailey still feeding the ducks, giggling and skipping around and she took her medical journal out.

Only a few pages in, her phone rang, Amelia's face popped up on the screen and she picked the video-call up.

"Hey stranger! How's hospital life treating you?" she asked and placed the phone in front of her.

"It's terrible. I hate it. I'm never setting foot in one ever again," the brunette pouted playfully. "It's a trap. It begins with a consult and it evolves into a full craniotomy. Can't you guys come and kidnap me?"

"Stop pouting woman, you love neurosurgery!" Arizona giggled. "Do you think you have for long?"

"No. I think, two hours, two hours and half top."

"Well, we'll either still be here or I'll have cave in and we'll be rotting our teeth with 'At Mario's' pastries."

"At Mario's?" Amelia's eyes lighted up. "If I don't make it in time, please, pretty please-"

"That marzipan and ricotta thingy rolled up in chocolate cake that should be a sin?" Arizona teased, knowing it would annoy the brunette.

"It's called a rollo and it's fucking delicious," Amelia raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, I'll grab you a piece baby," she smiled reassuringly and then deadpanned, "Do you want a kiddie balloon too?"

Amelia chose to ignore the sarcasm. "You would do that?" she asked hopefully.

The blonde couldn't help but laugh. She didn't even know why it surprised her anymore.

"Sure. I'm sure Zola and Bailey are going to take some anyway and extra-annoy us with them tonight so what's one more?"

"You're awesome," Amelia chuckled and then frowned and her look diverged at something behind the phone. "Edwards's making weird signs at me. I have to go. Call you as soon as I close up. See you!"

"See you Amelia."

As soon as she had hung up, Zola appeared seemingly out of nowhere and let herself fall next to the blonde with a big huff. She stretched onto her back and dropped an over-dramatic hand onto her forehead. Arizona quickly looked around and saw Bailey onto a swing set next to another blonde boy around his age.

"I'm soooo tired!"

Arizona chuckled at the little girl's demeanor and gently rubbed her tummy.

"Did my ears deceive me? Did Zola Grey Sheperd just say she was tired? I don't think I ever saw you even close to tired!" she joked. "Do you even sleep at night? I just thought your daddy and mommy took your batteries out when it was bedtime."

"You're silly! I don't have any batteries," Zola giggled.

"You don't?" the pediatric surgeon pretended to be shocked by the news. She lifted Zola's shirt a tad, glanced at her tummy and gasped. "Oh my God! You're right! You don't have batteries," she said with a wide smile and Zola laughed, tugging her shirt back down.

She sat up and pointed to the medical journal the adult had been reading. "I read those with daddy."

"Want to read it with me?" Arizona asked and Zola nodded eagerly.

The blonde tried to reply to Zola's questions and explain as best as she could. She was impressed with what the little girl already knew, but then again, she was Meredith's and Derek's daughter. Eventually, Ellis woke up so they decided to make the best out of the park and headed to the baby swings. Zola was pushing her when Bailey joined them.

"Where's your buddy?" Arizona asked him.

"He had to go away. Can you push me please?"

"Sure. Hope on, sweetheart."

"Can I push you next Zona?" Zola asked to her.

"I'm not sure that a good idea. I'm too old for swing sets."

"Nope, there is no age limit for fun Dr Robbins!"

They all turned around and saw Amelia standing there. The brunette dropped a kiss on her nephew's and nieces' foreheads before doing the same with the pediatric surgeon.

"Already finished?" Arizona asked as she hugged the brunette from behind, putting her head onto her shoulder.

Amelia's hands found hers to intertwine their fingers together and she melted into the blonde's warm body.

"Yep. It had beautiful margins so it was easier to get out than the scans had let us guessed. Edward closed up and she'll page me if she needs anything."

* * *

Zola and Bailey went to sleep pretty much right away, both obviously tired from all the running around they had done today. Since Ellis had had quite a long nap though, she was the last Grey-Sheperd still up and was currently playing on her play mat just in front of the couch while Amelia and Arizona were watching a cooking show re-run. The brunette smoothly moved little by little over time eventually reaching the blonde's laps. She continued her invasion of any personal space Arizona might have wanted and pushed them into a more laid down position. She then wrapped the blonde's arms around herself and placed her head over her lover's chest, happy to hear the rhythmic and soothing thud of the blonde's heart underneath her ear.

Arizona let her do her thing as she quietly admired the brunette's moves. In this moment she looked exactly like Sofia, all child-like and in desperate need of affection. Once Amelia was all over her and she felt the muscles relaxing, Arizona dropped a kiss on the top of her head and her hand tenderly rubbed her lower back.

"Ellis's right," Amelia mumbled out just when Arizona thought she had fallen asleep.

At the mention of her name, the baby excitedly babbled on the ground and Arizona sent her a toothy smile.

"What do you mean, sweetie?"

"Boobies-pillow comfy."

"Thanks, I guess," Arizona chuckled.

"You're welcome. A thousand points for team lesbian," she said sleepily and hugged the blonde a little closer, sighing contently.

* * *

They appeared to be cuddling.

Derek's brows furrowed at the scene and his hands landed on his hips as he took it in with great wonder and incomprehension the scene.

His baby sister and Robbins were cuddling. Not a friendly snuggle, no. Not the kind of cuddle that read "we're friends and we accidently fell asleep in the same bed". It seemed more… intimate. The kind that read "I do that with my wife". His sister was a big spoon, apparently, and she was holding the other woman, her arm protectively draped around her midsection and most of her face was buried into honey blonde hair.

Sure enough, both surgeons were close. They were roommates, and he knew Amelia considered Robbins to be a great friend, if not her best friend. And while the pediatric surgeon tended to be touchy-feely, that particular kind of snuggle involved way too much body contact to fall under the friendly category.

Moreover, he knew that Amelia was dating Hunt which only left him more perplexed, completely lost. So he decided to simply ask Meredith if she knew anything about the situation. He found her getting ready for bed, putting her pajamas pants on before climbing into bed.

"You alright, Der? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Robbins is here," he said blankly as he took a seat next to her on the bed. He looked up at the general surgeon, "Amelia and her are… cuddling."

Meredith couldn't help but giggle at his confused face. "You do know that they're dating, right?"

"WHAT?" the neurosurgeon's eyes almost popped out of his head at his wife's words.

The general surgeon suddenly felt bad for telling him. She had just wanted to tease him and instead she had just outed her sister in law and her colleague. Good job, Grey.

"You really didn't know?" she asked him incredulously. "Everyone at the hospital knows! How could you not?"

"You knew and you didn't tell me?" he was completely appalled, how could he have missed something like this?

"I thought you knew!" Meredith said, her voice high-pitched. "They're keeping it pretty low-key. They think nobody can see them playing footsies in the cafeteria, it's rather cute actually."

"I thought my sister was dating Hunt."

"God, you are a terrible matchmaker," Meredith teased her husband. "He liked her at first but I don't think he does anymore. They're close friends though. Since Christina, Owen tells her things."

"How long has this been going on?"

"I don't truly know. My best guess is about a month? But like I said, they're staying discreet so it could be more than that."

"Robbins and my sister," he said pensively, still trying to wrap his mind around it. "I didn't even know that my sister liked women. Why didn't she tell me?"

"Maybe she was scared or simply waiting for the right time to tell you."

"What would she be scared of?"

Meredith grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Well, like you just said, you've only known your sister with boyfriends. Maybe it's a new development for her too, and she needs time to get used to it," she shrugged.

She didn't know Amelia all that much, but if she hadn't told her brother yet then she must have a good reason.

"You think so?"

"I think you need to talk about it with her," she replied pointedly.

"And what do I say exactly? Oh, Meredith told me you were a lesbian now, congratulations!"

"Definitely don't say that," she chuckled at his bluntness and kissed him tenderly.

* * *

The brunette woke up first, something that was rare enough to be noteworthy. Amelia kissed the blonde delicately onto her forehead and softly rubbed her belly, knowing it was the least harmful way to wake her lover up. Sure enough, Arizona sighed contently as she came to life, her brows furrowing and eyes squinting at the sunlight illuminating the room and she buried herself further into the neurosurgeon's arms.

"I'm going to start breakfast, baby. You stay here and get your beauty sleep, okay?"

Arizona didn't really need any more convincing to agree. "'Kay," she said, her voice thick with drowsiness. "Come and get me before the kids eat it all please?"

"You've got it," she kissed the clad shoulder in front of her before carefully climbing out of bed and making her way out of the guest room silently.

She checked onto the kids, happy to find them all still sleeping soundly. When she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, the brunette was surprised to find her brother already sitting at the kitchen counter with a coffee mug in between his hands, looking deep in thoughts.

"Oh, hey, you're back," she said conversationally and helped herself a cup of coffee.

"We are. We decided to come back late last night instead of this morning so we could enjoy breakfast with you and the kids. It's been awhile since we last sat down together," he smiled warmly.

"That sounds great," she sat down next to him. "Did you and Meredith have a good time?"

"Yes, a fantastic time. We spent most of yesterday afternoon hiking. The landscape was amazing. So, I-uh," here came the difficult part about asking without really asking what he wanted to know. "I noticed Robbins slept over?" he tried to brush the subject with nonchalance.

"She-uh, yeah," Amelia sheepishly looked up at him. "She's really great with the kids and they all love her so she helped out. You don't mind, do you?"

"No, of course not," he reassured her. Time to try another tactic then. "I know how much the kids love having her around. She's very caring, and loving and funny. It's a shame she hasn't find anyone serious yet to share her life with, don't you think?"

"We're dating," she blurted out and her eyes popped out of their sockets, surprised by her small outburst.

So many times, she had try to come up with the perfect speech to come out with but apparently, that was the best her brain was able to elaborate at the moment. Three little words vomited at the speed of light. She advertised her eyes onto her mug, her fingers playing nervously with the handle, not knowing what to do with herself.

"I know. Meredith told me last night," his tone was calm and Amelia let out a little breath of relief.

"Meredith knows?" she asked, surprised. Probably only a handful of people knew at the most about their relationship, and she really didn't think her sister in law was among them.

"She uh, she said she noticed that you guys were close lately. More-than-friends close."

"Well, that's one less person to tell I guess," she said awkwardly.

He gently grabbed her hand to stop her from toying with her mug and he searched for her eyes. Her heart was pounding fast in her chest and she was feeling a little nauseous but still, she forced herself to look up at him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his features open to whatever she had to say, ready to listen.

She let out a big breath and Derek could tell it was taking a lot out of his sister to answer him.

"At first it was because I didn't trust myself to make it last, so I didn't see the point in anybody knowing. I fuck things up all the time, you know? And even though I really didn't want to fuck this up, I wasn't sure I could do it. But then it kept happening and we wanted to keep it to ourselves. Time for the two of us, to just be us. We knew that as soon as we would tell people, they would try to meddle and we wanted to figure out what _it_ even was. And then, a week became two and then a month passed by and then two months and it didn't stop. I tried to tell you. I tried to tell you so many times, Der. I guess I got scared? Every time I-I froze, the words would die in the back in my throat and my brain would throw the lamest excuse it could find at the time. And a few weeks ago, Owen told me about Mark and Lexie, told me how you punched Mark when he told you he was involved with Lexie and I grew even more anxious about telling you."

He could see her tensed shoulders and her other hand was fumbling with her pajamas pants apprehensively so he gave the one he was holding a comforting squeeze. "I can't believe you didn't tell me. All the times I made those remarks about you and Owen and you never said anything about Robbins."

"I told you so many times that there wasn't anything going on but you never listened. You were so adamant to push Owen and I together. And the more you tried, the more nervous I grew. It felt like you were pushing me towards him because he is a man and I kept wondering if you'd accept me with a woman, with Arizona," her eyes started to fill up with unshed tears and she tried to blink them away, "I couldn't- I can't lose you Derek."

"What do you mean?" he frowned, concern overtaking his face.

Derek silently cursed at himself for being so insistent, to not have believed her when she had told him so many times nothing was going on.

Meanwhile, blinking turned out to be useless and tears found their way out of Amelia's eyes, smearing her cheeks and coming to die on her lips and her throat constricted. She willed herself to be stronger and rubbed them away with the back of her hands.

"I lost every man in my life. I lost dad, I lost my fiancé and I lost my son. I c-can't lose you too. It would be too much, I wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Oh Amy," he got up of his stool and engulfed her into a protective hug, letting her sob freely. He dropped a kiss onto her forehead, "You won't lose me, Amy. Not over something like this. All I want for you is to be happy. Does Robbins make you happy?"

"Extremely so," she said as she buried herself further into him, needing to feel his support.

"Alright then."

Once her sobs had subsided, Amelia gently pulled away and let out an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry. I didn't mean to get this emotional and stain your top."

While she was obviously a little self-conscious, Derek could tell she was relieved. Her hands were no longer shaking, her shoulders were relaxed, and her blue eyes were shining with happiness.

"It's okay, I don't mind," he chuckled and sat back down. "It's just a shirt. So two months?"

"Practically three now. It's still very early but we were friends before, so it feels like we've been together longer. She knows that I'm a mess and she doesn't look at me any different, you know? Like I'm going to break down and take oxy at the slight inconvenience. She sees me for who I am and she accepts me. All of me," she said shyly.

"I'm happy for you. I truly am. I saw the way you changed over the last few weeks. You have this glow following you everywhere and you're smiling. Not that false bullshit smile but really smiling. I feel stupid for thinking Hunt was behind it and not listening."

"You didn't know."

"Still, I'm sorry. Does Sofia know? Does _Torres_ know? "

"Sofia doesn't. She knows that we're close but we haven't told her yet. No point in her getting too emotionally attached to me if it doesn't work out. Callie knows though. She uh, she walked in on us sleeping together in an on call room."

"Filter, please Amy," he winced at the unwanted picture his mind created.

"No! I meant sleeping, like unconscious sleeping. Not like having sex. She saw us snuggling, that's all."

"Have you always been attracted to women or is it an Arizona thing?"

"I've been attracted to both sexes for as long as I can remember. But I've never liked a woman to the point of wanting a relationship with one, so you could say it's also an Arizona thing," she smiled, and Derek was happy to see the first real smile since she had officially came out. "That's why I never saw the point in telling the family about it. I thought I would cross that bridge if I ever got there."

"I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

"For making you feel like you couldn't tell me. For making you feel like you could lose me over this."

"It's okay. You're here now and that's what matters."


	17. RUNNING ON SUNSHINE

**CHAPTER 17 – RUNNING ON SUNSHINE**

Arizona was huffing for the hundredth time in front of the bathroom mirror. She was turning around and around and around, trying to see her reflection from every angle humanly possible but the more she saw, the louder she scoffed.

When Amelia decided to investigate on what was taking the pediatric surgeon so long to get ready for their date, she went to the bathroom and her breath got caught short in her throat at the sight. Arizona looked ravishing. However, the look on Arizona's features was telling an entirely different story, screaming infuriated and insecure.

"Are you having a crisis?" Amelia asked from the doorframe in order to be sure of what she had just stumbled upon.

"I hate this dress," Arizona explained as she was trying yet another angle.

"What? Why?" Amelia entered a little further in the bathroom and her eyes strayed over the dress the other woman was wearing. In her humble opinion, it suited the blonde just fine. Okay, more than fine, it suited her _very well_.

"I look terrible. It shows off my love handles and it makes my arms look enormous," the pediatric surgeon replied with an ultimate huff.

The brunette came up behind Arizona and wrapped her arms around her midsection and placed her head on her shoulder, her eyes boring into Arizona's bright ones into the mirror. "I think you look breathtaking. The blue of the dress makes your eyes pop out even more than usual," she squeezed the blonde closer to her. "Your arms look just fine. Fit, like yeah I'm muscular but I'm not showing off either. And don't you dare say you have love handles, I can barely grab anything. And if you did, that'd just mean I'd have more of you to adore. And the length of the dress plus the shoes makes me look like a gnome next to you. So stop this pity party because, as the cool kids say nowadays Zona, you look swag," she said with a beaming smile and did fingers guns in the mirror to the blonde.

Arizona laughed and tilted her head backwards to kiss the brunette's cheek. "Sofia has a terrible influence on you," she said playfully. "Thank you. I needed that," she squeezed Amelia's arms and walked out of the embrace. She was going to grab her lipstick when her eyes finally landed on Amelia.

She was so focused having her own little breakdown that she hadn't really paid attention to Amelia's outfit.

"Fuck me."

The neurosurgeon chuckled at the reaction and span on herself, lightheartedly showing off her suit. "You like?" she asked with a smirk that made Arizona's knees weaken a bit.

"I-uh, I do," she let her eyes roam up and down, shamelessly checking her out. "I didn't know you owned a suit."

"I bought it a few days ago when I went shopping with Owen. I thought tonight might be a good night to wear this bad boy. You know, gotta try to match up my girl," she winked at the pediatric surgeon who blushed.

"And what happened to your hair?"

"Had it cut. It was getting way too long. Whaddaya think?"

"I think we should skip dinner so we can stay here and have dessert all night long."

Amelia chuckled. "I'm afraid we can't. What kind of a gentlewoman would I be if I didn't try to woo you by eating messily, staining this brand new white shirt and ending up looking like a goof for the rest of our date?"

"You don't need to do that. I already know you're a dork, sweetie," Arizona teased playfully.

"Asshole," Amelia whined and swatted at Arizona's arm.

* * *

They had gone to a nice restaurant and Amelia had been acting even more chivalrous than usual, opening doors for Arizona and walking behind her with a protective and reassuring hand on her lower back. Thankfully, the brunette had managed to find her mouth at every forkful, a fact she was probably more proud of than she should ever be for such a simple daily task.

After having paid, the neurosurgeon held the door for Arizona to walk out into the night. It was still relatively warm and the sun was barely settling down, the sky blooming out into thousand of pastels like colors.

"Do you want to go for a walk? The sun is still up and it's not that cold yet," the brunette offered as she laced her arm with the blonde's.

"I'd like that," she replied with a wide smile.

As they strolled through a nearby park, they could see the animal kingdom coming alive as the night was slowly falling. A bunny there, a squirrel here, some dragonflies… However after a few minutes of walking, Amelia could sense something was wrong.

"Are you okay? We've been walking slower and slower. I fear if we slow down again, we'll just be standing there," she asked to Arizona, concerned.

Arizona smiled, but the neurosurgeon could see she was hiding some pain. "Yes."

Amelia stopped her tracks and raised her eyebrows. "And the truth now?"

"They're new shoes," she mumbled out with a sigh.

"Why didn't you tell me so earlier? I would have never suggested a walk."

"I didn't know they were going to hurt that bad. We took a cab to come so I didn't really walk."

"I'm sorry," the brunette apologized, feeling a little guilty even though technically she knew it wasn't her fault.

"It's alright baby, just a little painful." Her foot felt like she was walking on millions of glass shards with each new step but she didn't want Amelia to feel bad so she minimized her pain. "I didn't say anything because I'm really enjoying our walk," that much was true, the blonde looped her arms around Amelia's neck and her fingers played with the baby hair she found there.

"Me too," the neurosurgeon kissed Arizona, her tongue gliding against her bottom lip, asking for access.

Arizona quickly responded and pulled her into an intense kiss. She gave as good as the other woman was giving her, tenderness bursting through their every moves. The pediatric surgeon broke it off, slightly out of breath and leaned her forehead against the other woman's, not quite ready to let go yet.

"I have an idea!"

The blonde raised an eyebrow in curiosity and impatiently waited to see what trick Amelia had up her sleeve this time. The brunette turned around, offering her back to the blonde with her arms bent backwards.

"Hop on?" Amelia asked.

"What? No! Are you crazy?" her eyes popped out as she understood what the neurosurgeon was suggesting.

Amelia turned back around, her hands on her hips with a lopsided grin on her lips. "I'm wounded. I'll have you know that Sofia says I'm an excellent piggyback ride giver."

"Of course, she does! She's six, weighs 55 lbs and pretty much thinks you and I hang the moon every night."

"Well, lucky you there's no age limit for piggyback rides and you're like, 130 lbs all soaked up and with a meal in. Me and my arms muscles can handle you."

"Uh-uh," Arizona shook her head. "No way."

"Come on, what fool would I be not to help such a beautiful damsel in distress?" she flirted with a smirk and gently pushed a few strands of blonde hair behind Arizona's ear. She could see Arizona's hesitance so she added, "Don't you want me to be your princess charming?" She asked with a small pout, puckering her bottom lip out.

Arizona scoffed nonchalantly in order to hide the fact that Amelia's childishness was making her feel like she was on top of the world right now. "Fine, you win."

"Yeah! High-five!" Amelia extended her hand and she looked damn excited, it was impossible for Arizona not to grin and high-five her.

"You're a dork," the blonde said as she climbed onto Amelia's back nonetheless.

The brunette's securely wrapped her arms under Arizona's knees. "Yeah, but you chose me so you don't really get to complain now. It's too late to give me back, after sales service's closed," Amelia joked and she could hear Arizona's soft giggles into her ear.

"Would they even take you back anyway?" Arizona joked back sarcastically.

Amelia stopped walking immediately. "You know, insulting the chariot while you're riding isn't the brightest idea."

Arizona bent forwards and kissed her temple. "Kiddin' baby. I'd have to be insane to ever let you go."

"You would," Amelia affirmed confidently. "I'm quite a catch. You would be miserable without me," she teased.

"I truly would," the blonde replied, the light playful teasing now gone from her tone, instead replaced by vulnerability and affection.

Not really knowing how to respond to such a declaration and still being taken aback by the spontaneity, Amelia felt her cheeks getting warm and she softly squeezed the other woman's thighs. They finished their walk slowly, talking quietly and taking in the beautiful landscape surrounding them.

"So, my place or yours?" Amelia asked with a goofy smile and wiggled her eyebrows as she was setting Arizona down.

The pediatric surgeon chuckled and simply took the brunette's hand in hers instead of replying and started to walk back home.

"Are you sure you're gonna be alright walking back home?" Amelia asked, still concerned for Arizona's well being. "We can hail a cab or I can carry you if you wanna."

Arizona stopped on her tracks and looked Amelia in the eyes, "As much as I find your caring extremely sweet, this has to stop. It's just shoes, I've been through worst. And I don't want to take a cab or you to keep ruining your back or anything. I just want to enjoy a nice walk with you by my side and your hand in mine," she gave her hand a squeeze.

The neurosurgeon gave her a little smile and kissed the back of her hand. "Fine. But will you at least let me land you my blazer? You're shivering."

Arizona shrugged. She wasn't that cold yet but she could use the protective layer from the wind. "Sure."

Amelia shrugged off the fabric and held it up so Arizona could slip it on easily. The brunette's perfume then enveloped her and she felt her heart skip a beat at the feeling of protectiveness that invaded her.

"You look cute."

* * *

When they arrived home, the first thing Arizona did was toeing off her shoes and she let out a big sigh of relief as her foot settled against the fresh wooden floor.

"You alright there?" Amelia teased.

"Perfect now," Arizona replied.

"Come on. Let's get out of these fancy clothes and put comfy PJ's on," she playfully swatted the other woman's butt and went to their bathroom while Arizona went to her bedroom.

The pediatric surgeon was having trouble unzipping her dress on her own though so she called out for Amelia. The brunette poked her head out of the bathroom, her face was smeared with her night cream on her cheeks, Indian style, and toothpaste was all over her mouth area, her toothbrush sticking out.

"What?" she asked, or at least Arizona assumed that was what she had asked since it was a mouthful with the toothpaste.

Arizona simply stared at her in awe. Here was Amelia, her beloved lover, still dressed all elegant and sexy-like, and yet still being so effortlessly her childish and dorky self. Her heart sank as she felt a warm wave run through her ribcage and a funny yet intimately familiar feeling settle in her belly.

Amelia was starting to become self-conscious as the other woman kept looking at her with dopey eyes but awfully silent.

"What?" she mumbled out again and toothpaste ran down towards her chin.

"Nothing. Just… You're awesome," she said lovingly.

Amelia frowned at her, confused by the sudden compliment, which was still welcomed and good to hear but unexpected. "Thanks. Do you actually have something to tell me or…?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Right! Would you unzip me please?"

Amelia nodded and walked up to her. The blonde presented her her back and took her hair out of the way by pushing it to one side. Fingertips grazed against the smooth skin of her neck before grabbing the zip and slowly dragging it down, the neurosurgeon's fingertips caressing the new revealed skin and making it tingle with shivers. Feeling devious, Amelia took her toothbrush out of her mouth and placed a kiss in between her lover's shoulder blades, toothpaste and all before sneaking away, giggling loudly.

"AMELIA!" Arizona span around quickly and followed the brunette.

She arrived too late though, the neurosurgeon had already locked the bathroom door. She decided to just let it slide and went back to the bedroom to put her pajamas on. She was playing on her phone when the brunette came back. Her eyes strained away from the screen and she found a make-up free Amelia, naked and ready for the night.

"Bathroom's free," she said as if nothing was wrong.

"You're the devil," Arizona replied grumpily, scrunching up her nose and furrowing her brows.

"You like me anyway," Amelia taunted with a smirk her as she crawled closer and closer until her lips found Arizona's and pulled her into a tender kiss.

Arizona pulled away and mumbled out against her lips. "Unfortunately yes," and pecked her before standing up to go to the bathroom.

When she got back, she jumped on the bed tiredly and burrowed her head in her pillow, loudly groaning into it. Amelia chuckled and Arizona eventually turned onto her side, some soreness transpiring onto her features.

Amelia kissed her forehead and leaped out of the bed. "Don't move, I'll be right back."

"I can assure you I have no intention of leaving this bed. Ever."

Amelia grabbed the massage oil from the bathroom cabinet and sat criss-cross at the foot off the bed and delicately grabbed Arizona's foot. Before the blonde could ask what was going on, her lover's fingers were glistening with oil and digging into her aching foot. She let out an involuntarily moan, in both surprise and pleasure.

"That bad, uh?" Amelia asked.

"I'm never putting these shoes on ever again. They're demon shoes."

They kept on for a while, sometimes talking, sometimes enjoying the comfortable silence surrounding them. Her foot massage done, Amelia went to wash her hands before sliding under the covers along Arizona.

"Thank you for tonight, I had an amazing time," Amelia confessed.

"Me too. Every time I have with you is an amazing time though," Arizona sweet-talked.

Amelia blushed ever so slightly, "Now you're just trying to get in my pants," she joked.

The brunette bent forward to meet Arizona in the middle and kissed her lips. She pulled back and both had a similar expression in their eyes, care and tenderness shining through them. Arizona's hand came up to stroke her cheek.

"I like you a lot, Amelia."

"I like you so much. I haven't felt this way in a long time," her eyes fell down.

The truthfulness and vulnerability happening verbally were making keeping eye contact impossible. She was afraid the feelings she was experiencing would show in her eyes and that Arizona would be able to discern every single one of them. She wasn't ready for the blonde to see them just yet.

The pediatric surgeon grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at her. She crashed her mouth roughly against hers in a frantic kiss. When she swiped her tongue against Amelia's bottom lip, it felt much more like a demand than asking permission, but the brunette welcomed her in anyway. A hand palmed her breast and almost instantly, a throaty groan made its way out. Amelia wasn't sure if it was hers or Arizona's though.

The blonde's lips ventured down her throat, vigorously assaulting the tender flesh there while her hand tormented her nipples in the most delectable way. She arched her back into the touch and her hand tangled into blonde locks, gently tugging mindlessly as Arizona's ministrations were amplifying.

Arizona slipped two fingers into her without much of a warning and set a quick pace right away, the palm of her hand meeting her engorged clit with each back and forth. Amelia rolled her hips, meeting her thrust for thrust and she came in a silent scream, her mouth hanging wide open as her whole body tensed up under the powerful exaltation of her climax cursing through each and every cell of her being. However, it only spurred Arizona on and instead of slowing down, she added another finger slowly yet surely inside of her.

"Holy fuck, Zona," Amelia cried out in delight and gripped the blonde's shoulder tighter, her knuckles turning white.

Once the pediatric surgeon was certain Amelia was comfortable, her hasty pace started yet again.

The brunette's hand traveled further south and gently pushed Arizona's limb up so she could get to her target. It didn't take long for Arizona to get the memo and her hips rocked forward in want. Amelia's hand met her clit into a hurried and demanding thirst that held promise of a fast and hard release.

Arizona broke the kiss with a throaty moan, her body a slave under her lover's touch. She could feel her inner tension increasing, her pulse was beating into her ears and hundreds of shivers were running all over her body. She would almost be ashamed of coming so close so fast if it wasn't for the fact that Amelia had been wearing a freaking _suit_ all evening, torturing her from the other side of the table, and had been so damn chivalrous all night long. She was only human.

Arizona tried her best to keep up her pace and was apparently successful since only a few moments later, the neurosurgeon's whole body tensed up again, her eyes closed and mouth opened. Her fingers were trapped inside Amelia but she did her best to softly help her through it.

Barely had Amelia caught her breath, she hurriedly pushed the blonde onto her back, her eyes now two black pools, and fingers traveled furthered south. Just as she captured an erect nipple into her mouth, Arizona felt two fingers thrust into her assuredly.

Not expecting it, Arizona couldn't help the sounds coming out of her. "Oh-fuckinnnng shit Amelia."

Amelia peppered her way back up with kisses and when she reached bruised lips, she pecked them. Her free hand came to stroke the blonde's face tenderly.

"Shh, it's okay baby. I've got you. You can let go, I'm right here. We've got all the time in the world, I'm not going anywhere," she whispered in the shell of Arizona's ear and nibbled at her earlobe, knowing it to be an over-sensitive point for her.

"Holy fu-oh my God."

Amelia chuckled. "Now God seems a little excessive but I'll gladly take it."

"Shu-shup up and kiss me," the pediatric surgeon's tone was demanding and the brunette happily acted on her request.

A few moments later, Arizona was falling deep into oblivion with a guttural moan that Amelia was definitely going to store into her mental spanky bank for lonely nights. She slowed down her movements and eventually came to a stop before taking her fingers out and wiping them clean. Arizona whimpered at the lost of contact.

"You alright? You haven't opened your eyes yet," Amelia teased.

"Enjoying the wave," Arizona replied with her eyes still closed.

Her features were relaxed and her whole demeanor was screaming chill. In a few little words, she was glowing. Her hair was, if Amelia was honest, not a total mess but it had clearly suffered their intense sport session.

Arizona poked one eye open, alerted by the silence. "Quite staring at me you creepy creepo," she teased and softly elbowed the brunette in the ribs.

Amelia swiftly moved to hug her stomach and kissed it. Arizona's hand wandered into wild dark locks. "I'm allowed to be a little awestruck. It's the first time I get to not only look, but also touch a piece of art," she said sincerely and kissed her belly again.

Arizona was conflicted between blushing very hard or rolling her eyes at the cheesiness. The red rising to her cheeks did the choice for her. "Thanks. You're not too bad yourself," she said playfully.

Amelia's smile grew wider, and she shrugged, down-playing it. "I know," she said smugly.

This time, Arizona didn't hesitate to roll her eyes. She saw the neurosurgeon trying to hide a yawn and, after glancing at the clock, decided it was probably best to go to sleep. Arizona sat up and Amelia tilted her head up and puckered her lips, indicating she wanted a kiss which she was happily granted.

Finally cuddled up for the night, Arizona murmured sleepily. "Nigthy night babe."

"Sweet dreams," Amelia tightened her grip ever so slightly around the other woman's waist and placed a kiss into the mass of blonde hair in front of her but pulled back out almost instantly, struggling. "Ba-ba-ba."

The weird sounds alerted the pediatric surgeon. "What are you doing back there?"

"Trying to breathe. I think I just swallowed half of your hair."

Arizona chuckled. "So you decided to just spit all over it to get rid of it?" she teased.

"For survival! Would you rather I choke to death?"

Arizona laughed harder and laced her fingers with Amelia's. "You're such a drama queen," she kissed the back of the brunette's hand and snuggled back into the protective embrace.

Just before she fell asleep, Arizona heard Amelia mumble out. "Naked good. You should sleep naked more. Me likey a lot."

* * *

When the doorbell rang around three AM, neither Amelia nor Arizona was happy about it. Amelia started to get up but Arizona forced her back into the bed since the neurosurgeon had just come back from work about an hour ago. She grabbed her crutches and sleepily made her way to the front door. When she opened it, she was quite surprised to find Owen on the other side.

He looked at her sheepishly and he nervously scratched the back of his head when he saw her. Arizona could tell he had come directly from the hospital, he was still reeking of disinfectant and blood. Judging by his look and the hour, Arizona was almost certain to know why he was here.

"Hi, I'm sorry to bother you. Is Amelia home?"

His tone was lifeless and tired.

"Of course," she forced a sleepy smile on her face. She knew he must feel in pretty bad shape to disturb them at this hour and she didn't want him to think that he was being an inconvenience. She knew firsthand how hard it was to reach out for help when you were panicking, so Arizona wanted to do her best to make him feel welcome when he was in need, just like Owen was always doing for Amelia. "Come on in. Make yourself comfortable, I'll go get her," she said softly.

Back into their bedroom, she wasn't surprised to find Amelia fast asleep. She sat on the edge of the bed and softly shook her shoulder.

"Baby, wake up," she cooed.

The brunette buried herself further into her pillow and kept her eyes closed. "What is it?" she mumble-asked sleepily.

"Owen's here. He seems pretty… distressed," she ended up wording after a pause.

"Mmh-mmh," Amelia complained grumpily but sat up nevertheless. The neurosurgeon rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and kissed Arizona sweetly. "Go back to sleep honey, I know you're tired. I've got him."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure," she kissed her again and got up, throwing on a tee-shirt and panties before joining the trauma surgeon.

The redhead was sitting on the couch, looking as awkward and uncomfortable as he could. Amelia fixed herself a yogurt along with a spoon and plopped down next to him. She turned the TV on, sound on low as to not disturb the pediatric surgeon.

"Want one?" she offered.

Owen just shook his head. Ten minutes into whatever shitty show was playing on the TV screen, Owen eventually started to talk.

"Rachel Shelly. 36 years old. Came in after a car accident. Drunk driver drove straight into the driver's side of her car," he let out a big sigh. Whatever he was going to tell her was obviously bringing bad memories back to the surface. "Her left side was almost entirely broken bones and she was blocked into her car for quite a while since the paramedic couldn't figure out how to evacuate her properly without injuring her more. She came in, in excruciating pain, and-," his eyes started to swell up so the brunette took his hand, silently encouraging him to take as much time as he needed and letting him know she was here. "And she looked exactly like my-my Megan. Brunette, long wavy brown hair, beautiful kind face. She-she kept on screaming and screaming," a few tears rolled down his cheeks and his voice broke. "She wouldn't stop. And I-I froze, I couldn't do anything. Because for a moment, I'm back in Iraq and all I can hear is Megan screaming and screaming. I can smell the gunpowder and I can feel the dryness in the air and I can hear Megan yelling for help. Yelling for her life and-and I froze, I just stood there. I couldn't move."

By now, the brunette was hugging the trauma surgeon with all she had, trying to comfort him as much as she could but knowing that it'd never be enough. Nothing was ever good enough. So, they talked and they cried and they hugged and they hurt until the pain lessened, until they felt like they could breathe again.

Amelia could feel Owen's tears soaking her pajama's top, his ragged breath prickling the skin of her neck, and the way he hugged her like a baby boy hugging his mama broke her heart in half.

"It's okay, you're okay. I've got you," she said.

She kept on whispering sweet nothings and rocked them softly until she felt the redhead calm down. Eventually he let go of her, looking grateful and less anxious than he did before.

Amelia squeezed his hand reassuringly and gave him a tissue, "Feel any better?"

"Yeah, thanks," he said, visibly embarrassed.

"Anytime, Owen," she smiled confidently, not wanting him to feel inadequate. "I'm going to get you a towel and some pajamas. You're in dear need of a shower, you're like a walking hospital my friend," she joked to diffuse the tension.

The neurosurgeon grabbed the necessities and handed them over to the redhead.

"Thanks", he said.

"You're welcome."

"Guest room is first door on the right, isn't it?" Owen asked.

Amelia frowned at him, confused. "Yeah, but you're not sleeping there."

"I'm not?" the redhead's eyebrows shot up.

"No. You're sleeping with us," Amelia argued, as if it was evident.

"Us?"

"Zona and me. I'm not letting you sleep on your own when you're feeling down like this and just went through a panic attack. You could have night terrors. I'm not crazy enough to let you sleep alone."

Owen laughed nervously. Barely had he opened his mouth to say something that Amelia cut him off.

"I don't wanna hear it," she said seriously and pointed her index at him. "You're not sleeping in the guest room."

The brunette walked away before Owen could argue any further. She let the bedroom door semi-opened and climbed back under the covers to spoon the other woman. Soon enough, the blonde squirmed back into the safe embrace the neurosurgeon was offering her. Arizona could hear the shower running.

"Owen 'kay?" she asked sleepily.

"He's going to. He's staying the night."

"Army?"

"Megan. Don't worry about it honey, I've got him. Go back to sleep," she said and kissed the back of her neck.

Arizona was woken up again ten minutes later when she felt the mattress dig. Alarmed, she asked, "Amelia?"

"S'okay baby. Just Owen."

"Oh, okay," she answered mechanically before she could think about it.

But then, it hit her that Owen was here. In her bed. With them, both of them. She knew Amelia and Owen sometimes slept together, just like she sometimes did with April. That much wasn't new. Amelia and Owen would both get a better night of sleep out of it and as long as the redhead kept his hands to himself, Arizona didn't give flying fuck. And sure, it wasn't the first time the neurosurgeon and Owen were bunking up since both women had started dating.

But they always slept Amelia's room. All three of them bunking up? That was new. It left her feeling a little weird about it but she decided to trust her lover and pushed the feeling aside, knowing the trauma surgeon was here for a good reason.

* * *

"I slept with Owen," was the first thing Arizona said to April when she spotted her the very next day.

"I beg your pardon?" the ginger asked, and if Arizona wasn't so preoccupied by the fact that Owen had slept with her, she would have mocked her hilarious friend's shocked face.

"Well, technically Amelia and I slept with Owen. But still, it's basically the same thing. We shared a bed. _My_ bed," she shuddered. "Do you know how awkward it is to wake up and have a man in your bed?"

April raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Yes, I'm quite familiar with the concept, Robbins," she teased.

Arizona rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant. I felt like the third wheel of a threesome I did not agree to be a part of."

April chuckled. "What happened?"

"Hunt showed up at like, three AM, he wasn't feeling great so Amelia just decided to invite him for a sleepover."

"Oh come on, it was nice of her. You know her and Hunt have this weird friendship bond," April rationalized.

"I know but still," Arizona whined. "And of course, I can't say anything to Amelia because she's just being nice and helping him. And I want to help him too. But have you seen him? He's tall and broad, he takes a lot of space!"

"Now you're just being a hypocrite. Almost every time we're drunk, we end up sleeping in your bed and starfishing."

"I know. I'm just cranky and I needed to vent," she whined and then it hit her right in the face. "Oh my god April, I'm Derek."

"Care to explain this one?" April looked at her suspiciously, trying to figure out what her friend was saying.

"You remember when Christina was still here? She used to sleep over at Sheperd's a lot with them. I'm Derek, and Amelia is Meredith and Owen is Christina." Then she muttered under her breath, "I'm turning into Derek," and walked away, still in shock at her discovery.

Alex gave his chart to the nurse next to April.

"Just crossed Robbins. Is everything okay? She looks like she just saw a ghost."

"Yeah, she just realized she's Derek," the trauma surgeon explained.

Alex looked at her weirdly. "Do I even want to know?"

April scrunched her nose. "You really don't."


	18. WELCOME TO PARADISE

**CHAPTER 18 – WELCOME TO PARADISE**

"Can we get some popcorn? Pretty please?" Sofia sweetly asked, pleadingly looking up at the two adults standing behind her.

Here they were again. On a date.

It seemed to happen more and more often lately, not that Arizona was complaining in the least. Quite the contrary actually, she enjoyed spending as much time as possible with either Amelia or either both the neurosurgeon and her daughter as a family. But honestly, it was getting to the point where it felt utterly ridiculous to not put a name on whatever had been slowly growing in between them over the last few months, since they had first shared their feelings. Don't get her wrong, Arizona wasn't one to care about labels. But when people asked her about her love life and she couldn't reply she had a girlfriend simply because they hadn't talked about it yet, it made her heart feel heavy. It felt stupid to not call Amelia her girlfriend. The neurosurgeon felt like her girlfriend. They shared a home, they raised their daughter, they had their own domestic routine…

"Going with the flow" and "doing what feels right" was nice and had obviously proved itself to be fruitful but Arizona felt like it had reached its limits. The blonde had been trying to work up the courage to pop the partner question for the last week now but every time, her voice had gotten caught in the back of her throat. She almost wanted to slap herself at her own inability. She felt like one of her sick teenager patient trying to ask their date to prom. Only she wasn't a teenager anymore, so it was embarrassing.

Since Sofia was with them this week, the three of them had decided to hit the movie theater tonight. It had been awhile since the last time they had been, and the huge grin that had appeared on Sofia's face when Amelia had parked her car made it absolutely worth it.

Amelia only then realized that the treat was a possibility. "Can we?" she asked, as excited if not more than Sofia and squeezed the blonde's hand.

"Okay," Arizona conceded and both brunettes squealed in happiness. "But no soda, alright?" she quickly added, knowing full well how messy they could get.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," the brunette kissed her girlfriend's cheek and bent down to scoop the little girl in her arms, settling her on her right hip.

"Thank you, mommy!"

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

"What kind do we want to eat, Sof'?"

"Caramel, duh. It's the best one."

"Yeah, Amelia. Caramel, duh," Arizona teased the other woman.

"Meanie," the brunette softly bumped their shoulders and the Latina giggled.

* * *

It appeared that Sofia suffered absolutely zero correlation between her sugar level and her tiredness, as her sleeping state would tend to demonstrate. As they had exited the movie theater, she had been overexcited, talking a mile a minute and skipping around cheerfully while holding both women's hands tightly in hers. However, the short car trip back to home had been another story.

Two minutes into driving and she was out like a light. Amelia glanced into the rearview mirror and saw her asleep into her car seat, her legs moving like Jell-O and her small hands holding her seatbelt, her breath even. She looked so peaceful and innocent, it felt like a crime to wake her up just for her to get to her bed.

"I've got her," Arizona said as Amelia turned off the ignition.

"No, I have her. You go inside and take your prosthetic off. Don't think I didn't see the way you winced every so often," Amelia said tenderly.

The remark, no matter how sweet the neurosurgeon had meant it to be, made Arizona furious and hurt. In the few months they had been together, Amelia had turned out to be a total angel about her disability. Never making her feel inferior, never doing things for her, letting her battle down her struggles and do things on her own… Never making her feel less competent than her because she was missing a leg. However, the words hit her right in the guts and she felt nauseous.

For God's sake, she had planned to ask Amelia to be her girlfriend tonight, not for a fight with her in their driveway. Guess life is funny like that, she thought.

"I can do it," she said bitterly and if Amelia hadn't picked up the anger from her features yet, she could definitely hear it in her tone now.

Not understanding what she had done wrong, she placed a hand onto the pediatric surgeon's thigh. "What's going on?" Amelia frowned, her tone concerned.

The first thing Arizona wanted to reply was "nothing" but she tried to shove her irritation aside. The brunette was trying to understand her reaction and avoiding a conversation out of frustration would do nothing good. Besides, truth held a very special place in their hearts. After all they had been through in their respective past, lying felt wrong. So Arizona forced her anger away and tried to reply as calmly as she could.

"Just because my limb is hurting doesn't mean I can't carry my daughter to her own bed."

"Oh my God, Zona," Amelia let out a sigh, almost like she was relieved but not quite, before caringly squeezing her leg. "I know you can. You do it all the time. Pain or no, you don't let your leg stop you. You never let it. But we're dating now, I'm not only your friend anymore. And I hate seeing you in pain like this, I want to help every way I can. And if carrying Sofia to her bed tonight can help, then I'll do it. Arizona, I know you don't _need_ me to do stuff for you. But I like you and I care about you. I wish you'd let me help. Not do for you but help. That's what a relationship is supposed to be, isn't it? Loving each other and helping each other through this wild thing we call life?"

The blonde's baby blue eyes filled up with unshed tears as soon as the last word had left the brunette's mouth. She tried to quickly blink them away but to no avail, so she finally gave up and let them roll freely down her cheeks, a lump forming in her throat. Could Amelia be more perfect? Her ability to say exactly what Arizona needed to hear, the way her words soothed all her anxieties away was surreal.

Meanwhile, Amelia felt absolutely lost. One minute, they were fighting - admittedly a small fight but still - and the next, Arizona was crying. The neurosurgeon felt her heart cave uneasily, she had obviously said the wrong things when she had hoped to be comforting. Her hands flew to Arizona's cheeks, her thumbs softly caressing the tears away.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Please don't cry, baby. I'm so s-"

"Be my partner?" The pediatric surgeon asked, her voice hoarse and her tone shy.

The thumbs stilled mid-way onto her cheeks, frozen in place, too taken aback to focus on anything else than Arizona's words resonating inside her brain. The blonde seemed to climb down of whatever emotional mountain she had been on, her sobs subsiding slowly and her breath evening out.

"I-," Amelia opened and closed her mouth a few times, not sure she had heard right. "What?"

Arizona brushed the last few tears away with the back of her hands before gently grabbing Amelia's, softly squeezing them. "You just said s-so. We're dating and w-we're in a re-relationship. I want t-to be able to cal-l you my girlfri-iend."

"I-," an incredulous and blissful look took over her features as she realized she hadn't been mistaken and had heard Arizona right. "Yes. Of course! Like I could even say no, you big idiot! Come over here," she said and leaned over the control center, her arms open to hug Arizona.

The pediatric surgeon melted into the offered embrace, her arms snaked around Amelia's neck and a breathy laugh escaped her. Amelia was her girlfriend. Amelia Sheperd, bad ass world-renowned neurosurgeon, was her girlfriend. The blonde almost had to pinch herself to be sure she wasn't dreaming.

"Don't you dare go crying on me like that again without any warning! I thought I had just told you the jerkiest things ever and that you'd never want to see me again," Amelia said before burying her head into the crook of the other woman's neck.

"Will do," Arizona laughed.

They couldn't tell how long they stayed like this, smiling like the two biggest fool on Earth and hugging. Eventually, Arizona gently pulled away, her eyes searched for her lover's darker ones and she cupped her cheek tenderly.

"I like you so much."

"I like you too," they both leaned in for a sweet kiss, which proved to be difficult since they couldn't stop smiling.

"Gross," Sofa said sleepily with a grimace from the backseat.

Amelia jerked away from the blonde in surprise, her left knee bumping harshly into the center control and she gave Sofia a mortified smile.

"Oh, you're uh, you're up!"

"I don't remember asking for an audience Sof'," Arizona said with a giggle.

"Sorry," the little replied with a smile, clearly not sorry at all.

"Come on sweetheart, let's go to bed. We've been in this driveway for forever."

Amelia quickly circled the car, opening doors for Arizona and Sofia and helping the little girl out of her car-seat.

"Thank you, Amelia."

"Gracias 'Melia."

While Amelia was putting Sofia to bed, Arizona decided to take a shower, hoping the warm water would help with her aching limb. When she came out fifteen minutes later, wet hair up in a ponytail, bags under her eyes and pajamas on, she found the other woman in the living room, laying on the couch, two wine glasses awaiting for them onto the coffee table. Soft music was filling up the room, just loud enough to be appreciated but not loud enough to disturb their sleeping child.

"Come over here partner," Amelia called out with a smile. "Damn, I like sweatpants Arizona. She looks like a hot yoga teacher."

"Well, I certainly do feel like a yoga teacher after a full day at the gym and no stretching," Arizona groaned and let herself gracelessly fall onto the couch next to Amelia, leaning her crutches against the coffee table.

It was weird how easy it had been to switch from friends to roommates to dating to now partners. It didn't even feel like a switch, more like a continuity. The normalcy of it all was almost disconcerting. Both women decided to not over think too much and to roll with it instead.

Arizona let her head fall onto Amelia's shoulder, her eyes fluttered shut as the soothing and familiar smell hit her nose, and a hand strolled onto her thigh and squeezed it softly.

"Shower did any good?" the brunette asked and dropped a kiss onto her forehead.

"Yes. Not as much as I had hoped it would though."

"Don't move. I'll be right back."

Before the pediatric surgeon could argue, Amelia was up. She came back a few moments later, Arizona's muscles relaxant in her hands.

"Lay down and take off your pants, please."

"This sounds like the beginning of a very bad porn movie," Arizona teased but still did as she had been told.

Amelia sat down criss-cross, the other woman's limb resting onto her crossed legs. She took some cream into her hands and rubbed them together so it wouldn't feel as cold once on Arizona's skin.

"I think you and I would make an excellent porn movie."

"Yeah?" Arizona asked with a chuckle.

"Definitely," she said with a nod and her fingers softly landed onto the limb and started to rub the smooth flesh tenderly. "We're really good at sex."

"That I can't argue with. We're amazing lesbians. The fact that we're both surgeons and have great dexterity probably helps though."

"Nah," Amelia grimaced. "It all comes down to natural talent, Zona," she said with a smirk and her fingers focused on a knot she had just found.

"Guess at the end of the day, we're both happy costumers, right?"

"Oh, I'm definitely a happy customer. No complaints over here."

The neurosurgeon kept on massaging under Arizona's watchful eyes, the quiet music still playing in the background.

"I can't believe we're partners," the pediatric surgeon admitted dreamily. "I've been so worried about asking you that it feels like a daydream."

"You better believe it, because I plan on telling the whole world about it. Wait, is that why you looked so constipated lately? You were anxious about asking me?"

"I did _not_ look constipated!"

"You kinda did," the brunette teased. "I didn't peg you for a pussy. But that's okay 'cause I like you and you're my girlfriend now," a huge smile appeared onto her lips.

"You are what you eat," Arizona replied with a smirk. "I like you too, 'Melia."

"Oh, so I'm 'Melia now?"

"I know Amy is reserved for Derek and Sofia calls you like that all the time. I guess I'm starting to pick the nickname up. Is that okay?" she shrugged nonchalantly, yet the other woman detected a hint of nervousness in her tone.

"Of course, baby. I like that only Sofia and you use it. Makes me feel kind of special, I guess," the brunette smiled bashfully at her girlfriend and she could feel the heat coming up her cheeks.

Arizona sat up, her hands cupping the red-tainted cheeks and her vibrant blue eyes found Amelia's. "You are special," her tone was firm yet caring and she leaned in to softly kiss her.

Amelia sighed into the sweet kiss and resisted the urge to let her hands wander since they were still full of cream and thus, sticky. The blonde pulled away slowly and giggled when she saw that the brunette's eyes were still closed. The sound made her come back to reality and her eyes fluttered open, slightly embarrassed.

"Leg better?" she asked.

"A lot. Thank you."

"You're more than welcome," she pecked the blonde, her hands still up in the air. "I'm going to wash my hands 'cause this cream is starting to get annoying. Can't touch anything."

She was drying her hands when Arizona appeared into the doorway, a self conscious look and a frown adorning her face.

"I'm sorry about our fight in the car. I hate fighting with you," she said awkwardly.

"It's okay. I just," Amelia threw the towel on the counter and leaned her hip against it. "You know I would never think any less of you because of your leg, right? Like I said, I just want to help because I care. I get why you're feeling defensive and insecure about it, but you don't have to be. Not with me. You'll always be my strong and fierce girlfriend, no matter what."

"I know. I'm sorry I over-reacted the way I did."

"Apologies accepted."

"Can we hug it out?" Arizona asked shyly, her fingers playing nervously with her crutches.

"Of course," the neurosurgeon smiled tenderly and walked up to the blonde to wrap her arms around her lower back, softly rubbing it over her sleeping shirt.

* * *

"I'm so fucking cold," the brunette said as she hurried herself to get under the covers next to the pediatric surgeon.

"Maybe if you would put some pajamas on," Arizona pointed out.

"You know I hate them. I'm too hot with them on and they're uncomfortable. Plus, if I put them on, then I don't have an excuse to cuddle no more," she pouted, her bottom lip sticking out.

"Come over here, you dork," Arizona giggled and opened her arms.

Amelia didn't need to be told twice and quickly snuggled on top of the other woman. "Arizona?"

"Yes?"

"I don't wanna _just_ cuddle."

Arizona was preparing breakfast the next morning when she heard feet shuffling against the floor. Just as she was flipping another pancake, Amelia arrived in the kitchen with Sophia in her arms, her head was resting on the brunette's shoulder, her eyes barely staying open. The sight sent butterflies straight to her stomach and before she knew about it, a smile was on her lips.

"Look who I found in our bed this morning," Amelia said barely more awake than the kiddo and rubbed her sleepy eyes. She walked up to the other woman and kissed her partner good morning, "Hello."

"Hello my babies," the blonde greeted softly and dropped a kiss onto her daughter's forehead.

"Hola mommy," she mumbled around her pacifier.

"Now, this is a sight I could get used to," Arizona said to Amelia.

Amelia looked at her, puzzled, and her drowsy look made the blonde's heart melt.

"You, in my way-too big shirt, all sleepy and cute and my crazy haired, beautiful little koala in your arms," she said dreamily. "I could get used to it."

Amelia smiled at her as she took a seat onto the bar stool, the child on her laps. She wouldn't mind passing the rest of her life like this either. Cuddles, smooches, enough giggles to fill two lifetimes and something akin to love growing a little more every day in her chest.

"Me too, Zona. Me too."

* * *

After dropping Sofia off to daycare, both surgeons headed towards the elevators, big seemingly permanent smiles on their faces. Derek walked in just as Arizona had to get out.

"Hello ladies," Derek greeted.

"Good morning Derek. I'll catch you later," Arizona said and chastely kissed the brunette on the cheek as Amelia playfully but sneakily squeezed one of her buttcheeks.

"See you," she smiled toothily at her and the blonde couldn't bother to be mad.

"Well, don't you look happy today," Derek said as the doors closed.

"A few orgasms and a late morning in will do that to you, Der. You should try it sometimes," Amelia teased him.

"Why do I even ask anymore?" he said rhetorically, he really should be used to his little sister's antics by now.

Amelia ignored him. "We're partners."

"I already knew that?" Derek looked at her with a frown, confused by her exhilarated tone.

"Um, no you didn't," she frowned back doubtfully. "She only asked me last night."

"If you weren't girlfriends already, then what have you guys been calling whatever you've been doing those last few months?"

"Dating."

"Riiiiiiight," he didn't seem convinced but decided to not push it. As long as she was happy, he was happy. "Well, then congrats baby sis! You officially have a girlfriend! Yay you. Or should I say Gay you?" he said the last part jokingly.

"That was the most terrible pun I've heard in a while bro," Amelia chuckled nonetheless and gently swatted at his arm. "Seriously though, thank you."

"You did good Amy. Arizona's a great person."

"I know," she said lovingly.

* * *

Arizona had barely set a foot into the hospital lobby that she was promptly stop by Amelia power-walking toward her, stopping just in front of her and looking like she was in a hurry.

She gave her a small tensed smile and kissed her cheek. "Hey babe, got two minutes?"

Before the pediatric surgeon could even get a word out, Amelia was dragging her around by the arm rather quickly. Not knowing what was causing her girlfriend to act like this, Arizona silently followed, taken aback but curious to find out what was going on. The brunette opened the nearest on-call room door and as soon as the blonde had entered, she was thrown rather forcefully against it and the neurosurgeon was kissing her roughly.

Arizona moaned at the surprising intrusion but quickly caught up as Amelia's tongue broke into her mouth. Her own tongue found Amelia's and pulled her into a well-choreographed dance, caressing all the right spots she knew made the other woman's knees weaken. The neurosurgeon pushed her even harder against the door, her curves lying perfectly and deliciously flat against the blonde's ones, colliding together until she could feel her all of her partner against her.

The brunette broke the kiss as air became an issue and instantly latched out onto the blonde's neck. The tender skin reddened under her sharp nips and Amelia grabbed her lover's hands and pressed them up on the door, letting her no choice but enduring the sweet torture she was giving her.

"Wha-what's gotten int-to you?" Arizona asked breathlessly, already starting to pant at the unexpected but welcomed attention.

"I'm horny," she accented her point by rocking her hips fiercely against Arizona and her hand wandered under her top. "So fucking horny, it's driving me crazy. I can't focus on anything for more than two minutes. And I've got a glioblastoma excision in… thirty minutes," she muttered crankily, only now realizing how little time she actually had on her hands.

Arizona flipped them around, to which the brunette let out a shriek in surprise.

"I better be quick then," she smirked, her lips not quite touching the brunette's, more like ghosting over them teasingly.

She watched Amelia's face as her hand strolled into her scrub pants without any prompting. The brunette shivered at the touch and rocked her hips as gifted fingertips wandered all over her most sensitive place. Her darkened eyes fluttered shut almost right away, all focus lost as her mind became overwhelm by the pleasant feeling Arizona's touch was providing her and her mouth fell open in a silent moan.

"Wow, you weren't kidding. Someone really _is_ turned on," Arizona said with a smirk, her fingers running across a really moist area.

"Fuck, your hand is cold," Amelia's hips bucked away from Arizona's hand against her will, due to the cold or to the anticipation, she didn't know.

"Sorry," the blonde said apologetically and pulled away. "It was freezing outside and I forgot my gloves," she approached her hands to her face and blew onto them to warm them up and wiggled her fingers around.

"Huh, huh, ain't nobody got time for that," the neurosurgeon was obviously disgruntled at the lost of contact. "Next surgery is very soon and I really need you to fuck me right now," she took the pediatric surgeon's hand away from her face and brought it right back where she needed it, a whimper escaping her.

"Well, when you ask so nicely," Arizona joked sarcastically but started back her treatment nonetheless.

Fingers ran along her slit and, once wet enough, travelled back up to her clit to rub it urgently.

"Fuck, yes. Don't stop."

Hips bucked once more and hands came to rest onto Arizona's shoulders, squeezing them tightly as the blonde set a fast pace onto her bundle of nerves. The blonde's mouth wrapped itself around her lover's neck and assaulted the silky pale skin in front of her. However, she was disturbed seconds later when Amelia started laughing instead of moaning like Arizona was expecting her to.

"What's so funny?" she frowned and pulled away to look at Amelia's face, her ministrations falling short.

"I'm so-sorry. It just fee-eels like I'm havin-ing sex with a snow-snowman," Amelia said in between chuckles and Arizona couldn't help but join her.

Eventually the laughing stopped and Amelia captured her lips into her searing kiss. She rolled her hips, silently indicating to the blonde that she needed her touch again. Fingers went to back to work, easily finding the sensitive bud once more. It didn't last long unfortunately for the brunette, since Arizona broke away with a laugh.

"I'm sorry, I can't. You said snowman and I can't stop thinking of Olaf in Frozen. I'm so sorry, this is so inappropriate," she said giggling, her fingers stilling once more.

"You're terrible. That stupid Olaf song is going to be stuck in my head the whole day now," the neurosurgeon unhappily whined with a pout and let her head fall onto Arizona's shoulder.

"I'm sorry baby," Arizona chuckled and dropped a kiss onto her scalp. "Sof and I watched Frozen last night."

"You should be sorry," Amelia pouted. "I need release," she grunted.

"Good thing I have a plan B then," the blonde wiggled her eyebrows.

"Plan B?" she asked and turned her head, still laid on the shoulder to look up at Arizona hopefully, not knowing what she was meaning by it.

"Time to get this mouth to work," she murmured raspily into the shell of Amelia's ear.

Amelia groaned at the sultry voice and at the confidence Arizona exuded. With the blonde's help, Amelia got one leg out of her scrubs, too impatient to take it off completely. The blonde knelt and as soon as had her girlfriend propped a leg onto her shoulder, she dove right into it.

The unexpected warm tongue was a nice change from Arizona's freezing hand and Amelia melted effortlessly into the touch, consumed by the feeling. However the blonde abruptly stopped a few moments later without any warning and pulled back.

"Time out," she said.

Amelia looked down at her with a look of utter betrayal. "Why did you stop?"

Arizona giggled at her tone. "Don't worry, I'm going right back to work. But I'm eating more of my hair than anything else which is really annoying. Do you have a hair tie please?"

Amelia took one out of her wrist and handed it to her. Arizona quickly pulled her hair into a messy ponytail and went back in, not stopping until she had the neurosurgeon's thighs quivering and her face contorting with pleasure. When the neurosurgeon finally came down for her high, Arizona hold her pant leg in front of her and glided it up as she stood up until the scrub pants was secure around her girlfriend's hips. She swapped her mouth on the back of her hand and took the hair tie out.

She softly pushed a few locks that had come undone from her ponytail behind the brunette's ears and let Amelia's breathing come back to normal.

"You better?"

Amelia nodded firmly. "Incredibly so. Thank you," she kissed her sweetly. "Promise I'll make it up to you once I've more time," she pecked her again. "Do I look okay?"

"As always."

"Sweet talker."

"I do try," the blonde said playfully and held the door open for them.

* * *

After her long ileostomy with Wilson was done, thankfully well after four hours of meticulous work, the pediatric surgeon felt like she could use a break. She stopped by the coffee cart and bought two drinks to go and some treats. She headed to the neurology ward and she spotted Amelia in a room with her patient and his family, obviously delivering good news judging by their big smiles and the hugs she even got. The blonde waited patiently by the nurses' station, staring at the beautiful scene unfolding in front of her eyes.

She would never get tired of seeing Amelia working. She was so passionate and smart and creative, there was no doubt she was born to do this. Brains were her reason to wake up every morning. She would sit for hours on end, staring at IRMs and scans, trying to find the best approach to whatever was going on inside her patient's brain. And she was always so proud and thrilled when she would eventually come up with a solution or a new idea. Arizona wasn't sure anything could quite rival with the way her somber blue eyes would come alive with such passion for neurosurgery. It was breathtaking to witness.

When the brunette got out of her patient's room, she saw her girlfriend a few feet away, looking at her with a dopey smile.

"Hi there beautiful," she greeted her.

"Hi. Was that your craniotomy from this morning?" Arizona motioned to the room Amelia had just been into with her head.

"Yep. Went so smooth we closed up an hour early. Is one of those for me?" She pointed to the coffees.

Arizona handed her the right one and a granola bar that she had slipped into her pocket.

"A coffee and a treat? You're the best girlfriend ever."

"I'm the _only_ girlfriend you've ever had," the blonde chuckled.

"I don't need to test them all to know I have the best model," the brunette winked at her and one of her hand playfully squeezed Arizona's butt under her lab coat.

"Off, there are people here," Arizona warned with a raised eyebrow.

"Fine," Amelia conceded and let her hand rest onto her lower back instead. She took a sip of her warm coffee and moaned.

"That good, uh?" the pediatric surgeon teased.

"Yes. You owe me by the way. Big time. I got that horrible Olaf's summer song stuck in my head for the whole surgery."

"Maybe it was good luck though. Everything went good and you even closed up early."

"Nah, that has nothing to do with it," the brunette shook her head. "That's because I'm a brilliant neurosurgeon. My natural talent saved this man from imminent blindness and terrible memory loss," Amelia declared playfully with a wink.

Arizona's hand cupped her cheek and her blue eyes found darker ones. She confessed truthfully, "I know you're saying that lightheartedly but you're the damn best neurosurgeon I know."

Amelia squeezed her lower back softly and gave her a shy grateful smile. "I know," she tried to sound cocky but her fragile voice showed how much the few words meant to her.

Rationally, the brunette knew she was a freaking great neurosurgeon but working with her older brother all day long made her feel like they were in constant competition. Every bad or good calls she was making, as soon as she was walking through the hospital's front doors, were compared to her brother's. She loved Derek but it was tiring to live into her brother's shadow. Hard proof was the fact that she was still being called She-Sheperd or Lady-Sheperd by most of the staff even though they all definitely knew her name by now.

It would sometimes get to her head. Derek and she were both kick-ass neurosurgeons who liked to play it risky. But the cases they disagreed on, the ones they would usually end up fighting about and storm out of CT rooms, she couldn't but ask herself what if.

What if she was wrong and Derek was right? What if this aneurysm had in fact been too risky and she had just gotten lucky? What would that woman have become if Derek hadn't operated that tumor in her frontal lobe when Amelia had refused too, judging it too dangerous?

So to hear those few words out of Arizona's mouth helped her soothe that irrational fear in the back of her mind.

Arizona dismissed her vulnerability, knowing better than to tease Amelia about it right now. "I know that you know. I just wanted you to know that I do too," she shrugged it off like it was no big deal and kissed her cheek.

The brunette was thankful at Arizona for not picking up her susceptibility. She quickly got her feelings back in check, going back to usual self. "Just don't say that too loud. We wouldn't want Derek to get upset. He cries easily," she joked and Arizona let out a small laugh, glad to see the playfulness onto her girlfriend's features.


	19. A GOOD NIGHT

**CHAPTER 19 – A GOOD NIGHT**

They had been supposed to go out on a date tonight.

They had planned this outing over a week ago. Amelia and Arizona had both blocked the night just for the two of them, they had arranged their schedules at the hospital, they had booked a table at their favorite restaurant, they had even chosen a week where Sofia was at Callie's so they wouldn't have to worry with a sitter… In other words, it had been supposed to be the most perfect evening.

Except everything had gone wrong. From the very moment Arizona's foot had touched the cold ground this morning at five AM to get ready for work, she had felt like she had been driving on a highway to hell.

Firstly had come the stomach cramps as soon as she had been out of bed. Since her period hadn't been supposed to be here for another week yet and there hadn't been any sign of blood, she had popped a painkiller in without looking any further into it and had gotten up.

Then had came Terrance, the six years old Wilson and her had been following for a chronic lung infection. He had unexpectedly thrown up all over her while she had been listening to his breathing with her stethoscope. That she could still handle. It had been a little irritating, but he hadn't done it on purpose and he had looked so embarrassed by the whole thing, Arizona hadn't wanted him to feel worst than he already had been so she had downplayed it. She had changed into fresh new scrubs and had gone back to her day.

The only two surgeries she had had today had been supposed to be routine. An appendectomy and a benign tumor excision. Both of them had ended up in a bloodbath, the OR standing still in a mourning silence as she had sorrowfully announced the time of death. The worst part had come right after, announcing to the parents their child's death. That part never got easier. Every time the words "I'm so sorry for your loss," left her mouth, Arizona could feel her heart dropping uncomfortably in her guts. As they had cried for a pain they would never recover from, she had felt like the Reaper Death. Like today, she hadn't been a good enough surgeon. Sage and Julian had been full of life and hopes and dreams waiting to happen and now, they were lying in the cold morgue all alone because of her.

She had paged Amelia in hope to maybe catch a few minutes with her so she could just cry for her losses into her secure embrace. But the brunette had had a busy schedule with little to no time for pee breaks so instead, the pediatric surgeon had found herself sobbing uncontrollably into a supply closet all by herself, her own arms wrapped around her knees.

Eyes still puffy and red, she had decided she needed a second cup of coffee if she wanted to survive the rest of today. Barely had the hot beverage been in her hand, had a rushing doctor passed her by with a shove of the shoulder, making her spill her coffee all over herself. She almost had another crying breakdown right there and then in the middle of the cafeteria. Feeling devastated and hostile, she had contained herself and for the second time today, had changed into fresh blue scrubs.

That had also been then that she had realized that her morning assumptions had been wrong and her period had indeed decided to show up early. And of course, from that tragic moment on, her stomach cramps had ten folded to her greatest discomfort. She had popped a tampon and another painkiller in.

When she had finally gotten home one hour and half before Amelia and her were supposed to actually go out, she still had thought the date was a good idea. She had been feeling exhausted but she had felt like she could use a peaceful and calm moment out with her girlfriend after her hectic day.

But misfortune had had other plans for her apparently. As she had finally been relaxing under warm water, she had lost her footing and she had fell down harshly onto the shower hard tiles, her elbow banging unapologetically into the folded plastic chair she clearly should have been using instead of the handle bar. She had yelped in pain and before she could do anything, big crocodile tears had been pouring out her crystal blue eyes, no stopping sign in view anytime soon.

She had felt so pathetic. Sitting onto her shower cold tiles floor, her elbow painful, her cramps even more painful. The most painful of all though had been the memories of the two little humans dying onto her table earlier today.

That had been at that moment that she had decided that tonight's date wouldn't be happening.

Right now, all she wanted was to eat comfort food, watch a crappy movie she could cry in front of, go to bed early and feel sorry for herself.

Amelia came home forty minutes before they were supposed to go out, a wide smile spread on her lips. She was finally out of the hospital and the prospect of passing some down time with her partner left her all giddy.

"Hello," she said far too cheerfully as she dumped her keys into the bowl provided.

Amelia's smile fell short when she saw the blonde's figure though. Arizona was lying onto their couch in fetal position, sobbing profusely and used tissues were littering the living room. Her heart dropped in worry. She had no idea what was going on but it clearly was something big to make Arizona this upset.

"Or not," Amelia muttered to herself.

The neurosurgeon quickly discarded her coat and shoes to come and kneel in front of the couch. Her hand grabbed the other woman's and gave it a gentle squeeze. "What's going on?" she asked sweetly, secretly hoping her fear wasn't too evident in her tone.

"I'm-I'm so sorry," Arizona blew out her nose and let out another sob before carrying on. "I kno-know we-we were su-supposed to go out to-tonight but I had a ver-very shitty day. Like shittily sh-shitty."

"What happened?"

Amelia's voice was so calm and caring. It felt like a safe boat into Arizona's current emotional whirlwind and it grounded her. She had a safe ship named Amelia she could hop on and hold onto like her life depended on it.

Quite a few people who had known Amelia younger had told Arizona that the brunette was a hurricane. Derek had even once told her he was happy to see his little sister with someone who could be calm and reasonable when Amelia was being destructive. Arizona had simply scoffed at him this day. She loved Derek, he was a cherished friend but he cruelly lacked some clairvoyance. Yes, she was here when Amelia was going through rough times and nightmare-like memories, but the brunette did and was doing the exact same thing for her. They were both damaged goods and in dear need of a stable partner when their mental stabilities went flying through the windows.

So, when her girlfriend was serenely looking at her with so much tenderness, Arizona knew it was going to be alright. The words flew out of her mouth into a long monologue before she could stop herself: the puke, the kids, her elbow, the coffee… Everything was getting spilled out and Amelia listened carefully, taking in what the blonde was telling her as if nothing else in the world mattered right now but the misery Arizona was feeling. As she talked, her sobs subsided and her mind became lighter, her inner tension relaxing.

"I don't want to go outside ever again. And I feel guilty because we had this date planned for a while now and everything was going to be perfect. You were really looking forward to it and I'm ruining it because I'm a big mess."

"Do you know why I was looking forward so much to it?" the neurosurgeon asked.

"That sinful cheesecake we always share for dessert when we go there?"

Amelia chuckled. "While it is to die for, it isn't the actual reason," she explained. "I wanted to enjoy some quiet time with _you_. Just the two of us without any interruption for a few hours, staring at your perfect face and do the crappiest jokes so you'd laugh," Amelia paused, her eyes sinking into Arizona's and she squeezed her hand.

She wished the pediatric surgeon knew how raw and truthful she was feeling. The shine filling her bright blue eyes told her she did. They both leaned forward to meet into a powerful yet comforting kiss.

"Mmh, snotty kiss," the brunette teased her as she pulled away.

"Shut up!" Arizona giggled and Amelia's heart fluttered in her chest.

There was the sound she had been longing to hear for the past ten minutes.

"You know what, fuck restaurants! We don't need a restaurant to do all of that," Amelia said. "We have Thai food on speed-dial and a perfectly oversized ice cream pint in the freezer," the brunette's hand came to rest on the blonde's temple and her thumb caressed her delicate features. "We also have Brokeback Mountain on DVD. Your favorite, right?" she asked with a little smile.

The blonde nodded, her bad mood fading away with each passing minute under Amelia's care.

"I'm going to grab you a hot water bottle for your belly and some painkillers. Oh, and I better gather some blankets too so we can snuggle into a warm cocoon."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Arizona asked, still feeling a little guilty.

"Who cares about some stupid plans when I have the perfect excuse to stay at home and hold my girlfriend in my arms all night long? Can't do that at a restaurant for sure," Amelia winked at her playfully. "I mean, technically I could but it would be awkward and I'm not sure about the amount of food effectively ending up in my mouth rather than in your hair or on your clothes. And I'm kinda concerned about the other customers too."

Arizona giggled again and softly hit her on the shoulder. "Dork. Go grab the stuff while I order the food."

Amelia kissed her forehead and made the famous military sign, "Colonel, yes colonel!"

Their evening was absolutely perfect. The food Arizona had ordered would probably left them feeling full for three days, the movie was playing onto their TV screen and they made comments and complained about everything wrong with it. Arizona got plenty of cuddles and then some. While the painkiller did poorly to relieve her from her cramps, at least her elbow wasn't aching anymore at each movement.

That was when Amelia noticed just how Arizona was comfortable. And not comfortable as in feeling at ease and relaxed but as in her bed was comfortable. Amelia thought Arizona may be the most comfortable person she had ever laid on. They were approximately the same height so it wasn't awkward and their bodies met curves for curves. The crook of her neck was the exact right size to inhabit Amelia's head and in case she wiggled down, soft pillow boobies were waiting for her.

Amelia also liked that her girlfriend's belly wasn't as muscular as hers. The soft flesh and barely there fat made it that much easier to just melt into her embrace. Her arms were the perfect size to grab her girlfriend's butt. And her leg/thigh felt nice too. Always warm against her cold feet and while the blonde often complained about them, she never actually removed her leg, instead letting Amelia do her thing.

Don't get her wrong, other people happened to be comfy too. But not nearly as much as Arizona. Like Addison for example. The redhead was too tall and while her breasts were definitely present, Arizona's were much more fuller, hence comfier.

Tonight however, she could feel the abdomen muscles quivering ever so slightly against her and spotted the small grimaces flashing on Arizona's angelic features from time to time. Just like that, she knew the pain medication the blonde had swallowed earlier hadn't relieved her completely. She also knew Arizona's tendency to hide her pain away, which she found incredibly annoying but Amelia understood well that it wasn't easy for her partner to show her vulnerability, since it was something she still struggled with herself.

She knew how painful her cramps could be at that time of the month, so her hand traveled under Arizona's tee-shirt to land on the side of her belly, stroking the baby soft skin under the fingertips in hope to calm her tensed muscles. A pair of lips dropped a sleepy kiss onto her forehead in thankfulness.

After a few moments, the neurosurgeon could tell her motions weren't effective so her hand wandered lower under the blonde's sweatpants as her lips strolled onto the blonde's neck. They wrapped themselves around her pulse point, nibbling and immediately soothing the bite with her tongue. Arizona whimpered quietly and tilted her head away to give more space for Amelia to work with. New flesh exposed, Amelia meticulously peppered it, careful to not let any inch undiscovered and unloved.

Arriving to Arizona's ear, she pushed the blonde's silky hair to get a better access and latched onto the sensitive spot. Under her, she could feel the belly muscles tensing for an entirely different reason, the pain finally taking the back seat to let want take the wheel. As she found a particularly sensitive spot, Arizona's hand cupped the back of her head to keep her there.

The brunette smoothly slid a thigh in between the other woman's to give her something to grind against. The sudden movement seemed to sober the blonde up though. Amelia's hips rolls were stopped short by Arizona as she wiggled herself up onto the couch, putting some distance in between them. Amelia raised her eyebrows, confused and intrigued at the sudden stop.

"Did I do something wrong?" Amelia asked, her somber blue eyes seeking bright ones.

"No, of course not," the pediatric surgeon reassured and then asked apprehensively, "But… what is it exactly that you're doing?"

"I thought it was pretty obvious."

Arizona could feel the heat embarrassingly tainting her cheeks with a bright red blush against her will. "Makin' out?" she said tentatively.

Amelia laughed lightly. "I was more thinking about making love. Unless you don't want to of course, I'm fine with making out too."

Her pupils dilated ever so slightly at her partner's admission. "I want to. Trust me, I truly do. It's just, I'm not exactly disposed? You know, bleeding and all that. Are you sure you want to?"

Arizona's thoughtfulness made Amelia's heart melt in her chest. She understood where the blonde was coming from. She still felt like a baby bisexual in many ways, but right now her concern was totally unnecessary. Her hand tenderly cupped Arizona's cheek and her thumb stroked the skin back and forth.

"Babe, it's alright. I like you. Period or no period, you're still awesome in my eyes and I still crave you the same. And a little blood isn't going to put me off. Trust me, I'm a surgeon," she added playfully with a wink.

"I- I don't want you to feel like you have to. I get that period sex isn't for everyone. I personally don't mind it and being a lesbian, I'm familiar with it. And it's okay if you're not comfortable with it. I don't expect anything from you."

"I know I don't _have_ to. I want to. You had the crappiest day ever and you deserve some good. I want to do everything I can do to help you relax. Your womb is aching and the painkiller didn't help, I can tell. You're hurting and I hate seeing you in pain like this. Now, climaxes can help with that. I masturbate all the time when my cramps get very bad," she shrugged nonchalantly. "Will you let me help please?"

Arizona was at loss of words for a few seconds. Amelia's care made the line between liking and loving a little more blurry and what had started as small butterflies into the pit of her stomach now felt like giant flying bugs spreading warmly all over her body.

"You're the best girlfriend I could ever ask for," she said, her voice cracking and Amelia couldn't help but find it utterly adorable.

"Is that a yes?"

Arizona nodded. "Please."

"Wait! One question: pad or tampon? 'Cause I'm pretty sure pads aren't really the best for what I-"

Arizona stopped her before Amelia could spiral into a ramble by pecking her. "Tampon. Now stop worrying so much, I'll tell you if anything feels weird, 'kay?"

Amelia pulled the woman back down under her and her leg glided right back where it had been a few moments earlier. Arizona's eyes fluttered closed as she let her hips move freely, no longer worrying about crossing a line they weren't ready for. The sight of Arizona succumbing to her inner desire only spurred Amelia on.

The neurosurgeon's lips strolled down her neckline only to be stopped by her sleeping tee shirt. She teased her collarbones and her left hand made its way under the top, her grazing fingertips making the skin came alive with shivers under its passage and eventually settled onto a bare breast. She teased the flesh until she felt the nipple hardening against her palm. She sat up and helped Arizona do the same to quickly discard the piece of clothing. Barely had it touched the floor, the neurosurgeon's mouth sealed around one of the other woman's inviting rosy bud.

Arizona gasped and her hips shifted to seek more contact so Amelia swiftly lay them back down. She moved her leg softly to help Arizona along, putting more pressure where she needed her the most while her mouth devoured every inch of skin that the blonde was offering her. Soon enough, hasty breath evolved into full moans and the pediatric surgeon's touch became less precise, blindly responding to the want growing in her lower belly without any question.

Arizona grabbed Amelia's ass with a full hand to pull her impossibly closer to her, as if she couldn't get enough of her. Sensing her lover was close, the brunette contracted her thigh muscles to bring her over the edge. Arizona came with a guttural groan and the neurosurgeon could see the ecstasy running through her lover's body. Her eyes fluttered shut, her back arched up, her hands squeezed harshly, goose bumps ran all over her body… Arizona looked breathtaking like this. Well, she always looked breathtaking but even more so in coital bliss. Amelia gradually slowed down her grinding movements and let the blonde come back to her senses.

Finally she came to a still and Arizona snaked her arms around her lower midsection, hugging her loose.

"You alright?" she asked to the blonde.

Arizona poked one eye open to look at her. "Perfect."

"Good, that was what I was aiming for," Amelia joked and kissed her.

Her mouth then traveled onto her jaw, kissing her way up until she found a blonde's ear. Her hand finally passed the last barrier disconnecting them and drifted into her panties. Her fingers were almost immediately welcomed by an unusually big amount of wetness and she couldn't help the moan that escaped her throat. There was something utterly pleasing about knowing she was the reason behind this mess.

"Someone is turned on," she teased into the shell of her ear, knowing it was a sensitive place and hence increased Arizona's craving.

"My breasts get ridiculously over-sensitive when I'm on my period and you're being a tease," Arizona confessed, visibly embarrassed.

"No need to be shy about it, honey. I like the way your body respond to mine," the brunette mumbled as her lips headed once more towards her chest, wanting to make the most out of Arizona's declaration.

Coated with arousal, her fingers expertly worked her partner's already engorged clit until Arizona came screaming not once but twice. Her pace eventually slowed down and left the over-sensitive bundle of nerve when Arizona moaned uncomfortably. The pediatric surgeon sent her a satisfied smile as her breathing slowly came back to normal.

Amelia softly peppered the blonde's tensed belly with thousand of kisses to calm the cramping muscles. It had started sweet and tender however, Arizona could now see the other woman travelling more and more south with each kiss, her eyes filled with desire. She quickly clamped her thighs together and Amelia looked at her questioningly.

"Uh-uh," the blonde shook her head. "I can't take another one."

Amelia smiled kindly at her. "'Kay," she dropped one last kiss onto her stomach.

Still longing for her lover's taste though, she brought her wet fingers to her mouth and licked them clean as she sat up. She grabbed Arizona's tee-shirt and handed it to her.

"I'mma get you some new panties. Those ones are ruined."

The pediatric surgeon propped herself onto her elbows and looked at her with an eyebrow raised, confused. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Amelia asked, obviously confused too.

"Don't I get to help you relax too?"

The brunette finally understood what Arizona was talking about. "I'm good as it is," she chuckled and squeezed her thigh reassuringly at the doubtful look adorning Arizona's features. "I promise. Tonight's about making _you_ feel good."

"You certainly did."

"Then my girlfriend mission of the day is accomplished."

Arizona raised both eyebrows in surprise. "Your girlfriend mission?"

"Yep!" the neurosurgeon replied proudly yet childishly. "Cause you're my girlfriend now, so every day I have to make sure that you're laughing and that you're feeling happy. Like a romantic agent 007."

Arizona's cheeks almost hurt from the big smile that unconsciously appeared on her lips. Amelia never stopped to surprise her with random adoring declarations. What did she ever do to deserve someone this caring and thoughtful?

She sat up and lovingly cupped Amelia's face with both hands. "My very own romantic and dorky agent 007. I like the sound of that," she kissed her languorously, her tongue gliding into Amelia's eager mouth and tangled with the other woman's.

The brunette's arms wrapped around her frame protectively. She pulled away, out of breath. "I'm going to get you some new underwear now and then we can finish watching the movie."

"Thank you. The period ones-"

"-are in the second drawer on the left," Amelia finished for her. "I know baby."

She took the old undergarments and threw it into the hamper and washed her hands before coming back with a new pair. She helped Arizona into them along her gym short. They cuddled back onto the couch and Amelia grabbed the blanket so they wouldn't get cold.

"They seriously expect me to believe they both pass every summer fucking into that mountain without any lube? Yeah, right," Amelia sneered.

Arizona giggled. "Shut up and just appreciate the movie."

"Fine," she huffed, "Just saying."

As the minutes passed by, Amelia could see the blonde's eyes dropping and a few yawns escaped her. At the end of the movie, Arizona couldn't help but cry. This movie never failed to make her cry unfortunately, it was simply too beautiful not to. Amelia just held her tighter and kissed her forehead.

"Come on, babe. I saw you nodding off a couple of times," she said as she turned the TV off. "We better go to bed."

"That would be nice," Arizona replied tiredly.

Suddenly the pediatric surgeon was scooped up into Amelia's arms and they were heading to her bedroom.

"I could have walked," Arizona said none accusingly.

"Maybe I just wanted to grasp a feeling," Amelia joked and squeezed her ass playfully.

The brunette gently let her down onto the bed and changed for the night.

"Gotta use the bathroom, be right back," Arizona informed and slipped away into the bathroom.

When she came back out, their bedroom was dimly lit and Amelia was already waiting for her under the sheets, a hot water bottle waiting on her pillow.

Arizona silently took her pajamas off, she wanted to feel Amelia's skin against hers tonight, it was comforting. She got under the duvet and hugged the warm bottle against her belly and let out a small sigh of relief. Amelia opened an arm to invite her closer and the pediatric surgeon gladly complied. She laid her head into Amelia's neck and tangled her leg with her partner's ones. Amelia was holding her book into one hand while her other was tenderly tracing unidentified figures onto Arizona's lower back.

"I had an amazing date tonight. Thank you, it was exactly what I needed."

Amelia squeezed her closer to reassure her. "Me too. I think that how I want to spend all our dates now. You, me, a blanket and just… being us."

"I like being us too."

"How's the uterus?"

"Still shredding itself apart but pain's more bearable. Thanks."

"Elbow?"

The pediatric surgeon bent it and stretched it out a couple of times. "Good as new," she commented at the lack of any soreness.

As Amelia started a new chapter, she could see Arizona's eyes dropping more and more but refusing to stay closed for too long.

"You can fall asleep, I won't hold it against you."

"But you feel good, I want to enjoy it for as long as I can."

Amelia chuckled before kissing the top of the other woman's head. "Go to sleep babe. I'll still be here when you wake up."

"You better," Arizona yawned and a few moments later, her deep and relaxed breaths filled the room.


	20. BREATHE

**CHAPTER 20 - BREATHE**

Family time when all of your parents were surgeons could be tricky. So whenever it happened, whenever their crazy timetables allowed for some down time together, it was precious and to be savored. It turned out that Arizona and Amelia both had Saturday night and Sunday off. Sophia was ecstatic to have both of them for herself for the whole _entire_ night and the day after. They had decided to hold a movie night and had planned a play date with the Grey-Sheperds the next day.

The young brunette was already sitting onto the couch, waiting patiently for the women to come and sit down so they could start the movie. Her mother came in a few seconds later with a big bowl of popcorn in one hand and set the bowl down onto the coffee table. Feeling in a teasing mood, she decided to sit right in front of her daughter.

"Mommy, I can't see the screen no more," Sofia complained and moved towards the left.

"Oh I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" the blonde teased her daughter and also moved to the left so she was still blocking her.

"Mommy!" she squealed and moved back to the right this time.

"Oh sorry," the pediatric surgeon smirked and followed her to the right.

"Stop moving ahora!"

"You stop moving, choose a place to sit young lady!" she scolded playfully with a smirk, toing and froing in front of Sofia to annoy her and make her favorite little human laugh. "Shhh, I'm trying to listen to the movie."

"It's not even on yet!"

Eventually, the little girl was saved when Amelia came back from the bathroom. The brunette grabbed her under her armpits and scooped her onto her knees as she let herself fall onto the opposite end of the couch.

"Gotcha princess!" she said happily.

"Gracias 'Melia. Mommy was being silly again," she playfully stuck her tongue out to Arizona.

The blonde smiled and sank next to them, placing the popcorn onto her thighs.

"I love silly mommy. I think she's awesome," the neurosurgeon said more for Arizona than for Sofia and turned her head to kiss her girlfriend's cheek.

Domesticated life with Arizona and Sofia was great. Amelia never thought it could be so simple, yet it was. Coming back home from work, playing with Sofia during bathtime, helping her do her homework, cooking with her lover, eating as a family and sharing stories and laughing… Each evening in their presences felt like a blessing of softness and love.

"Yo too?" Sofia asked, her pointer finger pointing towards her chest and an eager look onto her face, her piercing black eyes hopefully looking up.

"Of course. We're all super duper awesome," Arizona said seriously.

"Including mama," Amelia added with a nod. "We're an awesome family."

"Good," the kid took a handful of popcorn and got herself comfortable onto the neurosurgeon's laps.

"What are we watching, munchkin?" Amelia asked.

"Tinkerbell," Sofia replied as she pressed play.

A few minutes in, Sophia's eyes were glued to the screen, totally immersed in the movie. Arizona gently laid her head onto Amelia's shoulder and fed her a few popcorns.

"Thank you, love."

"You're welcome," she then leaned upward and kissed her, tasting the caramel on the other woman's lips. "That is some good popcorn," she whispered after licking the brown sugar off her own lips.

"Yes, but it is nowhere as sweet as you," the neurosurgeon pulled her again into a kiss.

"You're such a dork."

"Just for you," Amelia sweet-talked with heart eyes.

"Shhh, I can't hear anymore," Sofia murmured, almost scolding them with a whine.

"I guess we know who wear the pants in this house," Arizona kidded and squeezed Amelia's left thigh tenderly.

Amelia gently bounced her little girl up on her knees so they could be more comfortable.

"Si, now shhh. I wanna listen," she promptly took a handful of popcorn.

* * *

"Mommy?" Sofia asked in a hushed voice.

"What's up?" the pediatric surgeon looked up from texting April to give her attention to her daughter.

"I need to go potty," she shyly whispered.

"Then go, baby. You know you don't have to ask."

"Si, pero 'Melia's asleep and she's hugging me. I don't want to wake her up but I really need to go. Pronto," she said the last part with a grimace.

The blonde looked up and sure enough, her girlfriend was asleep with her head leaning on the side, her arms protectively wrapped around their baby girl. Her neck was probably going kill her tomorrow if she didn't move from this position soon.

"Amelia's not a light sleeper like mommy. Get down delicately and we should be alright, honey."

With as much delicacy as a in-a-hurry six years old could muster, Sofia climbed down, her eyes trained onto the neurosurgeon's face to see if she was waking her up. Her two feet finally firmly on the ground, she ran to the restroom.

"Amelia, wake up," Arizona whispered and gently shook Amelia awake.

In her sleep, Amelia's brows furrowed.

"Amelia," she tried a little louder and kissed her forehead.

"What?" the neurosurgeon grumpily let out and Arizona couldn't help but chuckle at the sleepy mumbles.

She carefully pulled Amelia more into her, her arm snaking around her shoulders so she could hug her better. "Lie your head on my shoulder. You'll be more comfy."

The brunette did as she was told, too tired to realize what was going on. Moreover, she wasn't going to complain about cuddles, the pediatric surgeon was really soft. As she sunk further into her side though, she realized something was missing. She frowned, her eyes still closed and patted around.

"Sofia?" she asked when she didn't feel her around.

"Restroom break."

"'Kay," she blindly dropped a kiss on Arizona's neck and went back to sleep.

When the neurosurgeon was once again woken up from her nap, it was by a different person this time.

"'Melia, wakie wakie," Sofia whispered to her not so softly.

She opened her eyes and they immediately fell onto her daughter's face since it was barely an inch away from hers. They may need to start teaching her about personal space. Groggy, Amelia looked around the room: the TV was off, Arizona was nowhere to be found and the living room was dimly lit. Sofia must have noticed her confused state.

"Tinkerbell's over so Mommy said to wake you up while she's finishing up the dishes."

Amelia let out a yawn, she was surprised that she had slept for this long when she hadn't felt particularly this tired to begin with.

"Time to tuck this big baby in then, uh?"

Sofia giggled and teased the adult, "_You're_ the big bebe. You slept during almost all of Tinkerbell."

"Does that mean you're going to tuck me in?" Amelia kidded as she got up with the little Latina sat onto left hip, her arms securely wrapped around her.

"Si," Sofia nodded in agreement with a lopsided grin.

"Do I get a bedtime story?"

"Si, but only una. It's tarde," she said seriously, holding one little finger up.

That girl was without a doubt her mommies' daughter. Crutches could be heard and Arizona came into view. She grabbed her daughter's finger and pretended to eat it. The child squealed and quickly hid her fingers into clenched fists.

"Mommy!" she giggled.

Since her goal to make her daughter laugh was a success, the blonde dropped the silly act and kissed her forehead.

"All ready for the night?"

* * *

Soft low breaths filled the bedroom as both women tiptoed their way out.

"Come on, let's go to bed. I think it's bedtime for you too," Arizona gently teased.

Amelia didn't argue, instead proving her partner's point further by yawning once more. She quickly brushed her teeth and headed to their bedroom. Her apparent fatigue seemed to magically disappear though when she witnessed Arizona unclasping her bra to get into her pajamas, revealing two fleshy breasts.

"You know what? I'm suddenly not tired anymore," she announced as she walked up to her lover to stand in between her legs. She grabbed her pajamas top and threw it away. "You won't be needing that."

Arizona raised an eyebrow and asked innocently, "Won't I get cold?" her hands settled onto Amelia's hips.

"I'll keep you warm," the neurosurgeon reassured with a smirk.

A hand cupped the back of Arizona's head and she pulled her into a fiery kiss. Amelia gently lay the other woman down and climbed on top of her, her strong thighs settling on each side of Arizona's hips. She could feel her partner's hands gripping her more tightly as her mouth left Arizona's to travel towards her neck.

The blonde tilted her head backwards, happy to give Amelia more space to work with. With every gentle nibbles or soothing tongue swipe, she could feel the small pool of desire growing into the deep pit of her belly.

Hands fumbled inefficiently with the buttons of her shirt for a few moments and Amelia took the hint. She sat up, the harsh separation of her lips from Arizona's skin causing the blonde to grumpily grunt which in turn, elected a giggle from Amelia. Amelia quickly discarded her shirt along her bra, knowing full well Arizona wasn't planning for it to stay on for much longer anyway.

And sure enough, barely were her boobs out of their restrictive cups, two warm hands landed on them with delicacy. Involuntarily, Amelia leaned into the touch as a barely audible moan made its way out of her throat. Arizona sat up, not satisfied to be so far away from all the fun. Her lips strolled along Amelia's collarbone and she could feel her partner's nipples stiffening against her palms. Almost like a reflex, her fingers softly caressed them in response. Her mouth wandered down her sternum and then to one of her breast only to finish its course around an erect rosy bud.

Amelia's hands clenched tighter onto her shoulders, her short nails digging into the silky skin. Arizona was pretty sure it was going to leave marks for the next few days. The neurosurgeon's breath grew heavier and breathier under Arizona's ministrations, her whole chest yearning for her lover's lips. Her left hand tangled itself in honey blonde hair and not so gently tugged her head upward, no longer able to resist the urge to just crash her lips against the very ones responsible for the want now flooding through her veins. Her tongue roughly invaded Arizona's mouth and she pulled her into harsh kiss.

"Stop trying to distract me," Amelia stated firmly before attaching her lips to the other woman's collarbone.

"Not my fault. You know I love your boobs," Arizona replied breathily.

Amelia approached her mouth from Arizona's ear, her lips brushing against the shell and whispered, "Not nearly as much as what I'm about to do to you."

Arizona whined, from anticipation or frustration, she wasn't sure. Her hands ran down along Amelia's spine until they met her skinny jeans. She skillfully popped the button open and with both hands, tugged it down. Unhappy but having no choice, Amelia un-straddled her and stood up before flapping her legs around to get her pants off. When it turned out to be fruitless, she whined and pouted at the blonde.

Arizona giggled. "Lie down," she motioned the bed with her head.

Amelia hopped on and lay on her back, her legs moving frantically in hope to get the offending piece of clothing off effortlessly. Damned skinny jeans.

"You do right, I do left," Arizona said as she grabbed the left pant leg while Amelia pulled onto the right.

After some more efforts, they were eventually able to take them off successfully and Arizona threw them across the room, as far as possible from them.

"Finally free from the devil!" Amelia exclaimed joyfully.

"I didn't know tonight love making came with a free work out session," Arizona teased as she rolled on top of Amelia and pecked her.

"I hope you got a good look at this outfit because I'm not putting it back on anytime soon."

"I like you much better like this anyway," Arizona replied huskily.

"Good," the neurosurgeon whispered against her skin, watching how her warm breath made the little hairs all around stand up in anticipation and she rolled them around to be on top.

Her lips found their way to one of Arizona's breast while her hand strolled to the other one. Her eyes trained up until they found her partner's face. Her normally blue eyes were now two pools of blackness, showing her want. Still watching her, her tongue darted out of her mouth and wrapped itself around the already stiff nipple. She watched as Arizona's eyes fluttered closed, her mouth became agape and a soft moan escaped, her fists curling tighter around the sheets. God, Arizona looked absolutely mesmerizing like this. Amelia would never grow tired of this. Her mouth latched out onto her other nipple, her teeth teasingly nibbling the bud.

Hips grew more desperate against her, bucking against thin air in hope of encountering a harder surface. Or any surface really.

"Amelia," the pediatric surgeon groaned out.

The brunette stopped what she was doing and looked up at her partner. "You summoned?"

"I want you," she rolled her hips to emphasize her point.

Amelia smirked. "I want you too."

"Then take me already."

"Uh-uh, I don't think so," Amelia shook her head with a devilish smirk. "It's my turn to have some fun now."

Her lips latched on that particular spot behind Arizona's right ear while her fingers expertly squeezed her breasts. Hips rolled higher than before, back arching off the bed and her leg wrapped around the brunette's waist in hope that it would change something. It did not. Amelia lifted herself off in perfect rhythm with her, as if she had read her mind, and she was left aching for a touch.

Finally, after some more minutes of delicious torture, the neurosurgeon pecked her way down to where the blonde needed her the most. She nudged her thighs apart and wrapped her mouth around the tender skin of her left inner thigh instantly, as if acting onto auto-pilot once the marvelous view of smooth fair skin came in front of her eyes. She nibbled at the skin only to soothe it with her velvet tongue next. She ignored Arizona's slit and went straight to her other thigh, kissing from her knee to the apex of her thigh, making sure to imprint every inch of ivory skin she came across with love.

Amelia could see Arizona's arousal growing right under her eyes with each touch. Her opening glistened under the dim light and her smell became more and more intoxicating. The brunette couldn't wait to dive in, feeling her own hunger increasing as she knew she was the one putting her partner in such a state.

Arizona felt Amelia suck on her skin what she was pretty was a third hickey. She could be wrong though, she wasn't really focused on math right now. She couldn't take it anymore, she was going mad.

"'Melia," Arizona half-complained with a high roll of her hips.

Amelia played innocent, pretending she didn't know why her girlfriend might be complaining. "What is it, baby?"

"Eat me out please?"

The Cheshire smile that appeared on Amelia's face told Arizona she was in _deep_. She wasn't sure what the neurosurgeon was up too yet, but it was no good for her. She watched as Amelia got herself comfortable: the brunette lay onto her stomach, wrapping her arms securely and strongly around her legs, making sure to keep them apart much to Arizona's dismay. Her tongue darted out to hungrily lick her lips in anticipation, like Arizona might be the most alluring meal she had ever seen. Oh boy, she was in for a ride.

Her somber blue eyes transfixed on the blonde's face, Amelia dove in. She took a long swipe from her opening to the very top of her clit, relishing in the little whimpers of relief she was collecting on her way. Arizona tasted even better than she looked. Confidently, she added more pressure and her tongue focused onto her partner's bundle of nerves. Arizona's hips fought against her grip, desperately trying to rock for more but to no avail.

Amelia's name filled the silence of the room, like some sort of prayer which only spurred Amelia to keep going. Her lips closed themselves around her partner's clit and she softly sucked onto the bundle of nerves. Hips fought hard to arch into the touch and a particularly loud moan was heard. Her tongue went back to draw lazy patterns onto her clit and Amelia's eyes trained upwards.

The pediatric surgeon's eyes were closed, obviously to focus on what her partner was doing to her. One hand was playing with her breast while the other was furiously clenching the sheets. Amelia wanted so bad to just reach out and lace their fingers together but chose to abstain for now. Instead, she sped up her movements and watched Arizona's face contorting with undeniable growing pleasure.

Arizona felt her belly muscles slightly contract and shivers ran along her legs, she could feel herself coming closer and closer to release. God, she was pretty sure if Amelia would let her grind just a little, she would just tip right over the edge. But Amelia's grip didn't relax and she intensified her efforts, focusing all her attention onto giving Arizona what she needed.

Arizona's back arched painfully high from the bed, her quivering thighs held apart by Amelia's hands as pure euphoria spread through her veins like wildfire in the forest. Her mouth hung open, feeling way too high to articulate anything other than loud gibberish. The brunette helped her through her orgasm, slowing down her movements.

Barely had she come down from her high though, that she could feel Amelia's tongue starting up her insane rhythm around her sensitive clit again. A hand let go of her hip only to interlock her fingers with hers, squeezing it in comfort. Her hips moved wildly and freely. The pediatric surgeon didn't really know if her body was trying to get away from her lover's mouth or leaning into the touch.

This time Amelia didn't even tease. She did the exact opposite of that. She gave Arizona exactly what she wanted. All the passion, the love and care she had in her and then some more. She quickly and skillfully hit all the right spots and if Arizona's grinding and harsh grip onto her hand were any indication, she was already close. The blonde would almost be embarrassed of coming so fast if her girlfriend wasn't just so damn _good_.

"Oh god, don't stop! Please."

So Amelia didn't stop. Not even when her second orgasm hit Arizona. Every single one of her muscles tightened with bliss and she cried out in delight but Amelia just kept on.

Wanting to get as much of her girlfriend's essence as she could, Amelia's tongue wandered down to her opening. She licked as far as she could, her nose bumping inadvertently against her clit. The hand holding hers let go only to grip the sheet firmly instead. The blonde was afraid she was going to break Amelia's hand if she held it.

"Fuck, Amelia. More," she asked, her tone showing how delirious she was feeling.

Each obscenity muttered, each "Amelia" groaned out, each throaty moan, felt like a little milestone on the high road toward release. The neurosurgeon kept on, completely transfixed by how beautiful Arizona was at this very moment. More fluid came out of the blonde and she hastened to catch it, her tongue exploring further into her opening.

A loud groan could be heard and the hips rolled faster against her face. She kept on taking as much as the pediatric surgeon as she could, trying to catch up with the blonde's frantic rhythm. Thighs and belly muscles tensed one last time and Arizona was send straight to cloud nine. This time, Amelia slowed down her actions, her touch became lighter and lighter until finally she wasn't onto her partner anymore. Satisfied with herself, Amelia happily licked her lips and kissed her way up.

Since Arizona's breathing was still a little erratic, she laid down next to her. She watched as her partner slowly came back to herself, her features the very definition of chill and sated.

"You alright?" a hand came onto her sternum and gently stroked the skin back and forth.

"More than alright," Arizona turned her head to look at her with adoration. She couldn't help but giggle when she saw her though.

The neurosurgeon frowned at her girlfriend. "What's so funny?"

"You're a mess," Arizona said and motioned to the other woman's mouth area. She was still sporting the sticky mess they had just made.

Amelia laughed with her and wiped it off with her forearm. "You look so magnificent when you come, I just couldn't help myself."

Arizona gently took the hand resting onto her sternum and kissed her palm sweetly. She then gently pulled onto it to draw Amelia on top of her.

"I'm definitely not complaining," she mumbled against her lips before pulling her into a searing kiss.

Her tongue immediately encountered Amelia's with urgency. Her hands strolled onto her lower back, lazily rubbing the tender skin while they kissed. Out of breath, Amelia pulled back.

"But I look nowhere as magnificent as you though," Arizona whispered to her, as if she was confiding her a secret before her lips lost themselves onto the other woman's jaw.

"Arizona," Amelia whimpered breathily, already worked up after having seen the pediatric surgeon combust with desire.

"What do you need, sweetie?" was murmured against her neck and then a nibble teased her collarbone.

Her hand tangled into blonde hair and Arizona forced her to stop her teasing to look at Amelia instead. She pecked her lips.

"Hard and fast, please."

Arizona pecked her right back and replaced a fallen brunette lock behind her right ear. "Whatever you want, baby."

Amelia felt the blonde's fingers brush downward her torso until they met wetness. The neurosurgeon arched into the touch and nodded, her almost completely black eyes lost into Arizona's vibrant blue ones. Arizona quickly coated her fingers with her partner's dampness and carefully introduced two into her opening slowly.

Amelia's eyes became half-lidded with pleasure and the smallest of sound escaped her throat. Feeling the neurosurgeon's inner muscles relax, the blonde began a slow back and forth. Her thumb found her engorged clit and gently rubbed the nub, pleased to see Amelia's mouth opening in pleasure.

Wanting to feel as much as Arizona as she could, the brunette sat up, straddling her and thus forcing her fingers deeper inside her. Her hips bucked, one hand on each side of Arizona's head for support and help her move her pelvis better. Her eyes were still lost into the other woman's, drinking all of her in. How amazing Amelia looked like this into their dimly light bedroom, her breasts slightly shaking to the intoxicating rhythm of her hips seeking release. The most beautiful part was her face though: half-lidded darkened eyes that Arizona could swear almost looked grey with this lighting, her eyebrows scowling faintly with delight and her mouth hanging open with silent moans and erratic breathes.

Sensing the other woman's undoing coming closer, Arizona quickened her pace and Amelia followed right behind, meeting her thrust for thrust.

"It's okay baby, I've got you. You can let go," Arizona encouraged.

A few seconds later, Amelia was silently clenching hard around her fingers, preventing them from moving. Her body leaned forward as endorphins rushed through her every cell, her head hid into the crook of Arizona's neck and her eyes shut tightly. The touch onto her clit became lighter and eventually stopped. Once her orgasm rode out, she let herself go lump on top of the blonde, not quite ready to move away yet.

Since Amelia looked so comfortable on her and since she was too lazy to go the bathroom anyway, Arizona carefully extracted her fingers and brought them to her mouth to lick them clean. Her hand drew lazy incoherent patterns onto the brunette's bare back, holding her close while she came back to her normal self.

After a few minutes, both women started to shiver so they decided to cuddle under the sheets instead of on top of it.

"I hate your eyes," Arizona said pensively as she got lost into her girlfriend's eyes once again.

"Okay, that was a little uncalled for," Amelia replied sarcastically, her eyebrows furrowing.

"I hate that I can't settle on what color they are. Are they grey? Are they muted blue? Are they grey with a hint of muted blue? Or are they muted blue with a hint a grey? Who knows," Arizona shrugged.

"Someone seems to have passed a lot of time over thinking it," the neurosurgeon playfully teased.

"They're distracting," Arizona said, faking to be annoyed. "You know that under the hospital lighting, they sometimes have a greenish reflect. As if it wasn't complicated enough, just throw another color in there."

"Are you sure you didn't miss a career path in ophthalmology? You sound overly obsessed with eyes."

"Shut up," Arizona pouted. "I'm trying to compliment you."

"You could have just said you found my eyes irresistible, you weirdo," Amelia smiled and pecked her.

"Your eyes are irresistible. Distracting, but irresistible."

"Thanks. Your eyes are pretty fascinating too. Sunny sky blue. If there was a name for that color, it would be trouble."

Arizona couldn't help but laugh. "You're such a romantic yet such a dork. How is that even possible?" the blonde asked, puzzled.

The brunette shrugged nonchalantly. "Natural talent I guess," she said, ever-so-modestly. "I'm serious though, your eyes are mesmerizing. And I'm not even talking about the color, just the way you look. They're piercing and warm and the way they light up when you're happy is just… wow. Sofia may have Callie's eyes color but she has your eyes. The warmth, the tenderness, the glint, it's all in there."

She could feel her heart constrict in her chest at Amelia's words. "You say the prettiest things to me," Arizona confessed as her right hand wandered softly onto her girlfriend's cheek, her thumb caressing it back and forth.

Amelia turned her head to kiss her palm and looked right at her, her eyes containing nothing but raw honesty. "And I believe every bit."


	21. SWEET NOTHING

**CHAPTER 21 – SWEET NOTHING**

"What are doing out there? It's freezing!" Amelia said as she joined Arizona out in the cold anyway.

"I needed some fresh air," Arizona replied ponderingly, her bright eyes never leaving the view in front of her as a fresh breeze blew, caressing their faces, not too harshly but still hard enough to distract the blonde from her thoughts.

"I'm cold," the brunette said as she zipped up her coat to the very top and glued her front to Arizona's back, her head coming to rest onto the blonde's shoulder.

Her hands wandered under Arizona's scrub top and she cupped the other woman's bra-clad breasts. Arizona shivered and leaned away from the cold fingers with a hiss, sinking her body further into her partner's embrace as she tried to get away from the freezing hands.

"Shit, what are you doing?"

"I'm warming up," the brunette explained, as if it was obvious.

The pediatric surgeon turned her head to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "Doesn't your coat have pockets?"

"Yes, but I want to hold my obviously upset girlfriend in my arms, she looks like she could use a hug," she pouted, her lower lip sticking out. "This way, I get to do both."

Arizona opened her mouth, but quickly closed it. She _did_ want to be held so cold hands would have to do for now.

"Fine," she conceded at last and looked back in front of her. "Dork," she muttered under her breath.

"Your dork."

"Unfortunately," Arizona said teasingly.

"Hey!" Amelia poked her ribcage, her hands finally warm enough to her taste so she wrapped her arms around Arizona's middle section, burying her cold nose into the blonde mane and teasing the crook of the other woman's neck.

Arizona giggled at the disturbance and let her head fall backwards onto the brunette's shoulder. "I'm kiddin', baby," her big bright eyes sank into somber ones, her expression morphing from playful to serious and honest, "I don't think I've been this happy in a while. I like you so much."

"I like you too," Amelia grinned and she leaned in until her lips met Arizona's, pulling her into a soft kiss.

She pulled away abruptly though and made a suspicious face. Arizona tasted different, very bad different. I-just-licked-an-ashtray different.

"Did you smoke?" she asked with a grimace, her brows knitting deeply.

The blonde made a guilty face and cringed, her nose scrunching up as she replied tentatively, "No?"

The neurosurgeon thought she looked utterly adorable trying to hide something like this and couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her.

"Relax, I'm not going to lecture you. I used to smoke when I was younger. I just didn't know you smoked."

"Only when I'm extremely nervous," she said apologetically, "You used to smoke?"

"Only for a while. You know, during college and then I started back again when Derek was shot at the hospital and wouldn't return any of my calls. Haven't since. What's going on in this big smart brain of yours that got you so nervous?" the brunette asked, concerned that something would make her partner so anxious that she'd go for a smoke.

Arizona turned around into her arms to face Amelia, tucking her head into the crook of the other woman's neck, needing the physical contact to ground her.

"I have to call social services on one of my patients," the blonde's tone showed exactly how emotionally torn that decision was making her. "Lou Nicks. I've seen her over a dozen of times over the last three years. At first, I believed her stories because her injuries were pretty coherent with whatever she would come up with that day. But it's the third time that she breaks her wrist. I've been suspicious for a while but Lou was always so adamant that she was just a very clumsy girl and her mom always played along. Saying that Lou is a real tomboy, that she likes to play it rough with the boys, laughing it off, you know? But today, her mom went to get coffee, so it was just Lou and me for a while. And she-," the lump Arizona had been pushing down her throat since that consult came back at full force and her voice cracked. "She broke down, Amelia. She cried and she cried, like I've never seen a kid cry. I just- I feel so guilty for not insisting sooner. How could I have not known? What if her mom had never left to get that cup of coffee? How many more times would Lou have had to come to the ER for me to finally put the pieces together? And here I was every time, smiling and cracking the stupidest jokes, trying to distract her while I was putting her plaster cast on while her home was a living hell for her," a few tears rolled down her cheeks, landing onto Amelia's coat, and neither woman made a move to wipe them away. Amelia simply pulled her closer and dropped a kissed on the top of her head. "I don't get it, 'Melia. How can a parent hit their own children? Why in the world would someone ever do that? I just- I'll never get it. And it makes me so fucking mad, I want to punch someone. And feeling so powerless makes me even more furious about the whole thing. Thank God Lou's dad isn't there, because I swear to God, I don't know what I would have done to him. Do you know that in the three years I've been following Lou, he only came in with her once, maybe twice? That fucking asshole."

The tears now coming out of her eyes weren't sad tears anymore but angry tears. Angry with Lou's father for hitting such a precious daughter, angry with her mom for covering her husband and more importantly, the pediatric surgeon was angry with herself for not noticing that something was wrong. For sending Lou and her new cast of the day back home after each consult, right into her abuser's arms.

Amelia's hands gently stroked her back, hoping to provide some comfort to the other woman, knowing full well there was nothing that she could do to ease the guilt Arizona was feeling, no matter how hard she tried.

"How can I help?" the neurosurgeon tenderly asked instead.

"You're helping now," Arizona replied with a sniffle, her tears had eventually ceased. "You're here."

The brunette's hand took the blonde's, lacing the finger together and held it to her mouth to kiss the back of it. "You, Arizona Robbins, are the most caring, thoughtful, wonderful and strongest person I know," she said truthfully, a kind smile on lips and her eyes shining with raw adoration.

Arizona felt her heart flutter in her chest and her stomach twisted. She felt like she wasn't deserving of all the attention and love the other woman was giving her today. It felt incredibly nice though and it was definitely helping. Amelia always seemed to know exactly what she needed to hear to soothe her, it was almost baffling. She slowly leaned in, her lips softly meeting Amelia's to pull her into a languid kiss, wanting to convey how thankful she was for her comforting words.

Arizona's hand tightened her hold onto her partner's left hip and squeezed her hand. The brunette sighed into the kiss and Arizona seized the opportunity to swipe her tongue inside her mouth to encounter hers. Amelia's pulled her impossibly closer, their curves converging together and only when she felt the blonde's body melting into hers, Amelia knew that she had succeeded to help her calm down. Out of breath, the neurosurgeon pulled away, leaning her forehead against the blonde's and esquimo-kissed her.

"You've got this, Zona. I like you," she said confidently.

"I like you too, Amelia," the pediatric surgeon felt her heart swelled up into her chest and her inner tension slightly slipped away, replaced by something very akin to love and she couldn't contain her smile.

* * *

Amelia was just finishing giving her patient's family the bad news and walking away, trying her hardest to not break down in front of them, when she heard a kiddie voice loudly yell her name for everyone present in the hall to hear.

"AMELIA!"

She turned around and saw Sofia running towards her as fast as her legs would carry her, her arms extended in front of her, ready to be caught once she was close enough. She spotted Callie right behind her, looking grumpily at her pager. She quickly forced her upcoming tears away and the lump into her throat down, instead putting on her brightest smile.

"Wow, slow down Speedy!" the neurosurgeon leaned forwards and caught the little Latina in her arms. She spun them around a few times, relishing in the small giggles leaving Sofia's mouth. She stopped before they could get dizzy and safely propped the little girl on her left hip. "Hello Sof'!"

"Hola!" she replied excitedly.

"Hi Torres," she greeted the orthopedic surgeon much more calmly. "I thought you weren't working today?"

"Wasn't supposed to but I got paged," she said, obviously a little disappointed by that fact.

"What's so important that you had to speed-run, munchkin?"

"Mama and I went to the park esta manana and we found a new leaf! It's a maple leaf. It doesn't even have little holes from being eaten yet."

"It was in the middle of a mud puddle, but it didn't stop a little someone from running straight to it," the Latina said pointedly to Amelia.

The neurosurgeon giggled, she had no trouble picturing Sofia doing something like this at all.

"That's awesome, Sof'! High five!" she exclaimed and presented her hand to Sofia who clapped it. "High five for you too mama," Amelia said to Callie with a big smile, who clapped her hand too.

"Vale, bebe. It's time to go to daycare."

Sofia immediately pouted at her mama's words, her bottom lip sticking out. "Do I have to?"

"I've got her," Amelia said with a nonchalant shrug.

"You sure?"

"Don't worry about it. Go before they page you again."

"Alright. Thank you, Sheperd. I'll see you later, my enconta," she dropped a tender kiss onto her daughter's forehead and walked away.

"So, I just got out of the OR and I was about to grab a bite. Wanna come with me before going to daycare?"

"Si," Sofia replied with a smile and cuddled up under her chin.

The woman took a deep breath, the smell of artificial strawberries and childhood hitting her nose all at once and the usual weight of Sofia resting against her felt reassuring. This girl must be magic, Amelia thought. That simple smile and lighthearted laugh made the pain more manageable. It was almost disconcerting how Sofia's love was soothing her. The little girl probably had no idea how powerful her cheerful attitude was, how it could brighten even her worst day.

"How many sugars for mommy 'Melia?"

"Five, please Sof'."

"Mommy's going to get cavities," the Latina's eyes popped out of their sockets but she still put the right amount of sugars into the cup.

"Mommy's going to get diabetes, more like," Amelia joked back.

"How many sugars for you?"

"None for me, baby."

"'Kay."

"We're good to go? We have everything?"

"Yep!"

* * *

"Behold! Here comes the mighty neurosurgeon in shiny scrubs bearing gifts!" Amelia exclaimed as she entered the scan room.

"What do you-" Arizona span around and her eyes landed onto her two favorites brunettes, a smile immediately forming onto her lips. "Hello Sof! What are you even doing here? I though Mama wasn't working today," her brows furrowed as the girls walked up to her.

"Mama got paged so 'Melia's taking care of me. We got you coffee."

Arizona dropped a kiss onto her daughter's cheek.

"Hello Amelia," she sweetly whispered with a grin before giving her attention back to her daughter, "You did?"

"Mmh-mmh!"

"We're both having a pretty shitty day so I figured we could use a little pick me up," Amelia murmured in the other woman's ear and kissed her temple.

"Thank you so much 'Melia," Arizona earnestly said, immensely grateful to have found a person as thoughtful and caring as Amelia Sheperd.

"You're more than welcome," she whispered back. "Sof, why don't you tell mommy what you found with mama this morning at the park?"

"You're never going to believe this mommy!" Sofia said excitedly and launched into her tale, speaking a mile-a-minute, both adults completely in awe of the best mood-upper they knew.

* * *

"Coffee?" Arizona asked as she put the warm beverage in front of Amelia's face, effectively breaking her staring contest with the brains scans in front of her.

Amelia eagerly grabbed the drink, a smile gracing her lips. "Thanks, I really need that."

"You're welcome," she pecked her lips sweetly before embracing the brunette from behind, her head resting onto her shoulder and her hands settling onto her belly. "Damn, that is one hell of a tumor you have here."

"IT'S NOT A TUMOR!" Amelia joked, badly imitating Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop.

"That was a terrible impersonation, baby," the pediatric surgeon chuckled and she was happy to feel the other woman relax into her embrace.

"Sorry. It's just that it's not a tumor."

"It's not?"

"No, see those fuzzy edges?" she pointed to one of the scan. "It's an aneurysm."

"This size?" the blonde frowned, squinting her eyes as she focused harder.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Are you going to clip it?"

"Yep!" she said as excited as usual whenever neurosurgery was mentioned. She tilted her head to kiss Arizona's cheek. "My son's patient kissed me," the neurosurgeon confessed and laced her fingers with the blonde's. "On the mouth."

Arizona's eyes almost popped out of their sockets and she was thankful her mouth was empty otherwise she would have probably sprayed coffee everywhere. "What?" she asked, high pitched, not believing what she was hearing.

"Unexpected, right?" the brunette said, still somewhat in shock and reassuringly squeezed her hand. "One minute he's thanking me for saving his father, telling me how awesome I am, that I'm a brain goddess… And you know I'm kind of basking in the glow because he's right. I'm awesome and I _did_ save his dad when most neurosurgeons would have refused to operate the tumor on his spinal cord. Next thing I know, he's kissing me. Oh, did I mention he's also like, fifteen?" she shuddered.

"What did you do?" the blonde asked, her tone obviously entertained.

"I pushed him away of course! What was I supposed to do? I told him that I was flattered but that it was wrong and that I already had someone," she turned around, snaking her arms around Arizona's shoulders and one hand played with the thin baby hair living in her lower neck.

"Poor kid, he must have been so destroyed."

"He kissed me Arizona!"

"Can you blame him though? You're marvelously smart, you're crazy badass and you're extremely hot," she softly pulled her even closer, pressing their bodies together against each other and she leaned in slowly until their lips were barely touching. "Very very hot," she whispered before eventually closing the small gap in between them and pulling her partner into a searing kiss.

Amelia's hand wandered down her side, her fingertips teasingly grazing down the other woman's scrub top until she reached her butt and squeezed it softly. Arizona whimpered softly into the kiss in surprise, her grip onto the neurosurgeon's hips tightening in response.

"Beauty really is a curse, you know," Amelia pouted when she pulled away, her lower lip sticking out.

"I have to go, it's rounds time. So don't go around kissing other teenagers okay? I don't have time to be your doctor in shiny scrubs," she teased with a smirk.

"_He's_ the one who kissed _me_!"

* * *

"You ready to go?" Amelia asked to Arizona as she walked into their bedroom.

Today, the weather was rather keen outside. Not very bright but a few rays of sunshine were shyly pocking out from behind white clouds, and the wind was actually just a light refreshing breeze instead of the bone-shivering hard blowing wind it usually was. So both women had agreed to go out for a walk.

"Let me grab my scarf just in case," the blonde opened a drawer and wrapped the piece of fabric around her neck. "All set," she smiled widely at the brunette.

"Wait, we can't go out looking like that," Amelia frowned, looking back and forth in between the two of them.

Arizona frowned and saw that the both of them were dressed in the same exact outfit, minus the colors. "Right, too much plaid happening here. You change. I'll wait for you into the living room."

"What? No, you change. I was ready before you!" the neurosurgeon argued.

"Oh baby, you're cute," she cued cutesy, "I'm the lesbian. I get to keep the plaid."

"What? No! That's not how it works."

"Sure it is. Whoever's gayer wins," Arizona teased with a smirk.

Amelia looked at her, appalled. She opened and closed her mouth a few times. When the neurosurgeon scoffed, the blonde smiled proudly since she knew she had won. She softly kissed her cheek and went to wait in the living room.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE USING THE "I'M A LESBIAN!" CARD JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO LAZY TO CHANGE YOUR _SHIRT_," Amelia yelled to the blonde whom was still not over the fact that it had actually worked.

Amelia extended her hand and the blonde happily grabbed it and interlaced their fingers. Once their door closed, Amelia gently tugged the blonde closer to her.

"Where are you taking me, baby?" Arizona asked, curious at the determined attitude Amelia was displaying.

"It's a surprise, so there's no point in asking."

They wandered into Seattle, widow shopping as they went and stopping every now to appreciate their surroundings or trash-talk whatever was behind the shop window. Finally, Amelia slowed down to a stop when they reached their destination.

"We're here."

"The space needle?" Arizona asked as she eyed the tall building standing in front of them.

"I remembered you told me a while ago that you hadn't been in a long time and I've never been so I thought why not?" Then she added, her tone uncertain and doubtful, "Unless you think it's totally lame then we can go somewhere else."

"Amelia Sheperd, I would love to go on this lame date with you," Arizona smiled at her and squeezed her hand to accentuate her delight at the surprise.

"Really?" Amelia asked, still unsure.

"Yeah," Arizona giggled. "I have to warn you though, I'm slightly scared of height since the plane crash and all, you know."

Amelia suddenly felt stupid to not have thought about that, her heart uncomfortably dropping in her chest. "Oh my God I'm so sorry. I'm so stupid, I should hav-"

"Amelia."

"Never proposed you to go up there. How did I not think about it? I totally should have-"

"Amelia."

"-asked you first. I suck so much at surprises. You know what? Just hold my hand and you can squeeze it as hard as you want if it gets too much. I'll do you one even better, we don't even have to go up, I'm-"

"AMELIA," Arizona tried louder, finally getting the neurosurgeon's attention and stopping her rambling. "I'm _slightly_ scared of height. As long as there is no earthquake while we're up there or some incident trapping us into the elevator mid-air, I'll be just fine."

"Really?"

Arizona could see the guiltiness and the uncertainty shining in Amelia's dark blues eyes. She willed herself to make it go away because it clearly didn't belong onto her girlfriend's features. She cupped her cheeks with both hands and gently placed a confident kiss one her lips. "Really. Stop worrying so much. Now, is being scared a must or can I hold your hand just because I want to?" she asked cheekily in order to diffuse the tension.

"Well, I guess, if you insist…" she glided her left hand into Arizona's, interlocking their fingers together. She felt a tad reassured thanks to Arizona's ministrations, not matter how small they were.

"I'm afraid I really do."

"Alright then," she kissed the back of the blonde's hand. "But please, try not to hulk out on my hand. You're holding priceless artwork, I save lives with these bad boys."

Arizona giggled and bumped her shoulder playfully. "Dork."

The elevator ride went as smoothly as it could be expected but Amelia kept on soothingly toing and froing her thumb against the back of her partner's hand to comfort and reassure Arizona anyway.

Once at the top, they did a few tours among the tourists. They stopped every few steps, the pediatric surgeon showing the brunette some of Seattle's most recognizable monuments like the Ferris wheel or the Safeco field but also some more personal things like her favorite restaurant or Sofia's favorite park. After a while, they sat down on one of the indoor's seats, completely in trance at the view lying beneath them.

Arizona let her head fall on Amelia's shoulder. "This is the best lame date I've ever had. Thank you Amelia."

"I'm having a wonderful time too," she kissed the blonde's forehead.

Before leaving, they asked a by-stander to take a photo of them. They stood close to the glass, Arizona's left arm around her hip and Amelia leaning into her, both smiling from ear-to-ear.

"It's perfect. It's going up on the fridge," Arizona said as they looked at the picture.

"What? No!"

"Why not?" the blonde frowned.

"Because you look beautiful and I look like mess!"

Arizona smirked at her. "Yeah, but you're my mess," she smirked which made Amelia's smile in reply.

"Mmh-mmh," the neurosurgeon nodded. "Come again?"

"Mine," Arizona repeated more confidently this time and kissed her cheek.

Then they went back down and walked around some more, hand in hand.

"Can I interest you in a waffle?" Amelia asked as they approached a food truck. "I'm not that hungry but I know you have a sweet tooth. Sharing?"

"How can I refuse? Sugar treats with my perfect partner on a perfect date."

Hot waffle in hand, Amelia and Arizona strolled through the nearby park and found the perfect tree to sit under. Amelia sat first, her back against the trunk and invited the blonde to sit in between her legs.

They people-watched while they ate, one of the brunette's hand playing with honey blonde hair. Their treat eaten and a few moments of peaceful silence later, Amelia could tell that the pediatric surgeon was beginning to quietly doze off . Her rhythmic breath was calm, her belly going up with each inhalation in a soothing way and her eyelids were shut closed, hiding her bright blue eyes.

"Wakey wakey baby," she gently whispered and slowly rocked them in order to wake Arizona up. "As much as I love this park, I'm afraid we can't sleep over. We didn't bring our pj's with us."

"Comfy," Arizona mumbled and backed herself further into her girlfriend's embrace.

"I'm honored you think I'm a good quality human pillow," the neurosurgeon kidded. "I'll give you a few minutes to mentally prepare yourself to stand up," she kissed the back of Arizona's head.

"Don't stop," Arizona muttered in a childishly upset tone, her eyebrows frowning.

"Stop what baby?"

"Rockin'. I like it."

Amelia chuckled at the other woman's cuteness and a wave of affection ran through her. The fact that she got to call the human being resting in her arms hers still felt a little surreal from time to time. She rocked them leisurely. "As long as you promise to not fall asleep."

"Promise to try."

* * *

"Hello there beautiful," Amelia said as she came alongside Arizona at the nurses' station.

"Shhhh, not so loud. My girlfriend might hear you," Arizona playfully replied, stopping her writing to look up at the neurosurgeon.

"Does she, now?" Amelia raised an eyebrow, playing along. "Is that girlfriend of yours any hot?"

Arizona bit her bottom lip, her eyes leering openly at the brunette's body, knowing exactly what it did to Amelia. "The hottest," she flirted back.

"Maybe I should just yell it louder then, so she comes. Then we can ask her how she feels about threesomes," she wiggled her eyebrows.

Arizona's smile left as quickly as it had appeared. Making an annoyed face, she stated with a roll of eyes, "You're a dumbass."

"Come on, you know I had to do it," Amelia was obviously pleased with her little joke, judging by the smirk on her face.

The pediatric surgeon raised an eyebrow. "Do what? Ruin your chance of getting laid this week? 'Cause it totally worked." She closed her patient's chart and tucked it under her armpit. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have tiny sick humans to see."

"What? Wait! Baby, you can't do that!" Amelia whined as she pouted.

"I so can," Arizona gave her the most satisfied smile the brunette had ever seen her sporting as she walked away from the nurses' station.

Alex came up next to her with a frown.

"What did you do to make Robbins smile so big?" Alex asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh, you know, just ended whatever likelihood of any sexual interaction between us for the next year or so. No biggie," she shrugged nonchalantly. "Never try to make your woman laugh if you ever wish to touch her boobs again, Karev," she sadly patted his shoulder and walked away with a melancholic sigh.

Alex was left dumbfounded, a look somewhere between confusion and discomfort written all over his face.


	22. MOVE AND GROOVE TOGETHER

**CHAPTER 22 – MOVE AND GROOVE TOGETHER**

Arizona walked into the attending's room only to find it empty, if not for Amelia currently struggling with the coffee machine. She was about to talk when she realized she had just walked onto a yet unidentified situation. The neurosurgeon was obviously tensed, if her stiff shoulders, her scoffs and her nervous behavior were anything to go by. The brunette was mumbling to herself under her breath, Arizona couldn't make out what she was saying but she was clearly lost in her mind since she hadn't heard the pediatric surgeon coming in when Arizona hadn't been particularly silent.

"Hey, are you… alright?" the pediatric surgeon asked, concerned.

Amelia jumped at the voice, startled, and turned around with one hand on her racing heart.

Arizona grew even more concerned. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"S'okay," the neurosurgeon replied with a shy, anxious smile. "I was just, you know, thinking," she awkwardly motioned around her.

The blonde raised an eyebrow and sat down at the table, giving her girlfriend a kind smile. "I kind of got that part. Are you alright?" she asked, her tone non-judgemental.

"Yeah, I'm doing great! Awesome, totally fine!" Amelia said in a way too high-pitched voice and turned back around before she could word vomit another stupid comment.

She kept on messing with the coffee machine for a few minutes while softly cursing at her inability to hide her edginess. Arizona saw right through it though, it seriously didn't take a genius to see that something was obviously bothering the brunette. So she just waited there, waited to see if Amelia wanted to talk about it. She sat there silently playing with her phone, offering Amelia her presence and the possibility of physical comfort or a talk. The blonde watched Amelia from out of the corner of her eye and saw her accidently making her empty mug tip over for the second time in the whole thirty seconds since she had entered the room. The neurosurgeon could be clumsy at times but the shaky hands told Arizona it was more than usual clumsiness.

The neurosurgeon turned back around with a heavy sigh and her hands clenched the counter so hard her knuckles turned white.

"When are you going to ask me to move in?" the words spilled out of her mouth at the speed of light before Amelia could even stop herself, her heart beating so fast in her chest that she could feel the blood rushing through her veins.

Taken aback, Arizona gave her a confused look. "We already live together?" she tentatively said, not really knowing is she was asking a question or if she was stating a fact.

"I know. But we evolved from roommates to partners. So, when are you going to ask me to move my stuff from my room to yours? Because I've been casually bringing more and more clothes over and let's face it, the only time we don't sleep together is either because one of us has a night shift or either because I come home back very late and I don't want to wake you up. And it sucks by the way because I like sleeping with you a lot," she frowned at her wording. "Wait, that sounded wrong. I meant sleeping, as in, laying unconscious for several hours with you in my arms. Not that I don't like sleeping with you as in having sex with you, because trust me, I _totally _do. I'd be crazy not to, you're really good at sex. A rock star. But I also like going to sleep and knowing that if I wake up in the middle of the night for whatever reason, you're here. You're just laying next to me, peacefully breathing and smelling faintly like lavender and I'm lulled right back to dreamland. So um… yeah. That's all I had to say," she awkwardly finished and she scratched to back of her head, visibly feeling uncertain about her little speech.

Arizona was mind blown. For a moment she wasn't sure if she had imagined the whole thing or if it had actually happened. But no, Amelia had really just asked her if they could move in together. She felt a little frustrated with herself for not realizing earlier that it was a part of their relationship that her girlfriend might feel insecure about. In her mind, it was crystal clear that her bedroom was now _theirs_.

So the pediatric surgeon asked, "What are you doing Sunday?"

The neurosurgeon frowned, thrown off by the question. "Did you not hear a word of what I just said?" she asked, a little upset by Arizona's complete disregard.

"What are you doing Sunday?" Arizona reiterated and got up, walking towards Amelia until she was standing right in front of the other woman.

"I don't know," Amelia replied, now upset and annoyed that Arizona had basically overlooked her candid and opened monologue. "I think it's my day off, so probably chillaxing."

Bright blue eyes sought out dark blue ones and Arizona took the wobbly hands in hers, intertwining their fingers confidently. "You're not chillaxing anymore, you're moving in," she stated with an assured smile.

The brunette's eyes went from irritated to almost popping out of her skull hilariously fast. "What?" her heart skipped a beat and her mind finally stopped over thinking, instead going blank.

Arizona squeezed her hands. "I'm off too Sunday, I just swapped my shift with Karev's. So we're moving the rest of your stuff to my room," she kissed Amelia sweetly. "The only reason I didn't ask you to move in is because I didn't think I needed to. Honestly, there is so much of your crap all over mine," she teased playfully. "Half of the drawers are filled with your clothes. You claimed the left bedside table as your own. The pillowcase has your scent printed all over it. I hadn't realized you still had stuff in your last room. But if it can help you make you feel safer and more serious about us, then we're doing it. Officially," her thumb came to stroke her cheek tenderly, her eyes never leaving her lover's ones.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Amelia's voice was filled with vulnerability and gratefulness. She kissed the other woman eagerly, cupping her cheeks.

Arizona's hands traveled under her scrub top to rest onto her hips and softly caressed the bare skin she found there. She let the brunette took the lead and was more than happy to feel the neurosurgeon's body relax right under her fingertips as her doubts scattered away into thin air.

"For your information, I love it when you sleep into our bed too. Even if it's late and you climbing in wakes me up a little bit. I like having you near me and knowing you made it home safely," the pediatric surgeon confessed and gently rubbed their noses together.

"That's so gay," the neurosurgeon kidded with a wide smile and the blonde rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You better get used to it though. I'm never going back to the guest room. You're not allowed to sleep alone anymore."

"Good, I wouldn't have it any other way," Arizona pulled the other woman closer until she could engulf Amelia into a tender hug.

The brunette nuzzled her neck and then hid her head comfortably into honey blonde hair. She felt a kiss being dropped onto her forehead and a few butterflies erupted into the pit of her stomach at the reassurance that they were both more than ready for this new step.

"Are you going to actually be able to make coffee now or do you need some help?"

Amelia nudged her girlfriend's ribs with her elbow and pouted.

* * *

"Jackson has to work on Sunday. Want to do lunch?" April asked.

"Aspiration," Arizona instructed to Wilson and then replied to the ginger. "Can't. Amelia's moving in."

April's hands stopped and she looked up from their patient's intestines with a look of pure confusion while Arizona was still fumbling in. "She's what?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow at her friend. Did she mispronounce? "Moving in."

"Don't Dr Sheperd and you live together already?" Wilson asked with a doubtful frown of her eyebrows, obviously as confused as April.

"They do," April replied for Arizona and her hands went back to work. "Amelia's stuff is literally right across the hall."

"Exactly. And on Sunday, it's coming straight to my room. Hence the moving in."

"Oh, I see. And moving three tee-shirts and a bedside lamp is going to take you all day long?" April asked sarcastically.

"Of course not. One hour, one hour and half top. Celebratory sex however might take a while which is the real reason I can't do lunch Sunday."

"Ew!" the trauma surgeon made a disgusted face. "I so did not need to know that! Why would you even tell me that?"

Jo simply stood there, carefully suctioning and pretending her hardest that she couldn't hear the small bickering happening in between the two surgeons.

"You were being noisy," the blonde teased with a satisfied smile.

"Is it what I think it is?" Wilson suddenly asked to the medical team surrounding her.

Arizona felt her heart cave as she took in the small yet visible tumor onto the kid's duodenum. "It was supposed to be a simple hepatectomy. How did his cancer spread so fast? There were no metastases signs two days ago! How were his labs this morning?" she said as she searched around frantically for more metastases with the trauma surgeon.

"His white cells were slightly elevated but he had a cold last week and we stopped chemo four days ago so his body would be ready for this upcoming surgery. It wasn't up enough to be alarming otherwise I would have reported it."

"Some days suck."

* * *

The brunette was putting the last of her clothes away in Arizona's drawers. When she came back to the guest room, also known as her old bedroom, she found Arizona sitting on the bed with the biggest smirk the brunette had ever seen on her pinky lips. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the blonde who merely mentioned on the bed and wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

"Something you want to tell me Sheperd?"

She looked down, almost fearful of what to expect, until her curious blue orbs settled onto the sheets. They were littered with what the neurosurgeon would like to refer as her secret pleasure stash, only it didn't seem so secret anymore.

Amelia abruptly looked sheepish and very self-aware, an expression Arizona had rarely seen onto her girlfriend's features until now and that definitely didn't belong here. Her fingers were toying nervously and a light red materialized onto her pale cheeks, her dark sapphire eyes glancing all around the room except to the very bed.

She scratched the back of her head shyly. "Not really?" she tentatively said, unsure of where to stand and tiptoeing a fine line between being caught red-handed and wanting to appear cool, which she really wasn't succeeding at right now.

Realistically, she knew it wasn't that big of a deal. Both women were old enough and open-minded enough to understand the concept of solo sex and acknowledge its importance. Even though they were involved with each other, they could comprehend that it was still healthy to sometimes take some down time to focus just on themselves, to be a little selfish and indulge their inner desires and fantasies. They were mature enough to understand they both did it every so often and to respect it.

Seeing her partner's discomfited face, Arizona felt a little guilty, she hadn't meant to make Amelia feel uncomfortable.

"Aw, babe. Come here," she cued as she stood on her knees on the edge of the bed, motioning for the neurosurgeon to come closer.

Amelia took a few uncertain and timid steps towards the blonde. The pediatric surgeon softly grabbed her hips in a strong yet protective grip to pull Amelia against her. One of her hand wandered to the side of Amelia's face and gently caressed the smooth cheek before placing a delicate kiss onto her lips. Arizona was glad when she felt Amelia relax against her, the brunette's arms snaked around her neck and rested surely on her shoulders. Arizona pulled away with a warm and reassuring smile.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel awkward. I was just trying to be playful but I really wasn't," her thumb slowly toed and froed onto the prominent hipbone to its own rhythm as she apologized.

Amelia shrugged nonchalantly. "It's okay."

"Nah. Everything that doesn't bring a smile onto those lips isn't okay," she said sweetly.

Amelia finally smiled at Arizona's tender revelation, her heart fluttered in her chest as her brain registered the adoring words. The grin made Arizona feel slightly better about her mishap.

"Come on, let's clean it up. They can go with mine."

Amelia's small smile turned into a smirk and she raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the blonde.

"Yours?"

"Well, yeah. Unless you want to leave them scattered around but Sof's coming back tomorrow and I would hate to have to explain what _those_ are," Arizona said ironically.

Amelia chuckled. "You know that wasn't what I meant," she whined but started to gather her stuff anyway.

"Like you haven't seen me use them from time to time. Last drawer, black box," Arizona instructed and puckered her lips and closed her eyes for a kiss since Amelia was going to pass in front of her in order to walk out of the room.

"Thanks honey," Amelia said and, instead of the lips offered to her, decided to squeeze the other woman's butt on her way out.

"HEY!" the pediatric surgeon called out, not having expected it.

She got back to cleaning up the second to last drawer when she heard Amelia's mischief voice from the doorway.

"Okay, don't be mad."

She frowned as she turned around, "Why would I be-" the words died on her lips as her eyes landed onto the brunette.

She had managed to find Arizona's only sextoy with a suction cup and smack it right in the middle of her forehead, leaving the toy standing proudly in the air, wiggling around with every move her head was making.

"I'm a unicorn," Amelia said lightheartedly. "Whaddaya think?"

For about two seconds, Amelia wasn't sure what to expect. Arizona seemed frozen in time. But just as she was going to apologize and take the thing off, the pediatric surgeon busted out laughing. Full on, horribly loud, abs hurting, tear worthy laughs and Amelia felt accomplished. Arizona's laugh was music to her ears and she was pretty sure she would never grow tired of hearing it. After a few moments, she had eventually calmed down enough to talk.

"You're officially the dorkiest person I know," Arizona said with a giggle as she wiped her tears with her hands.

"Anything to make my girlfriend laugh," Amelia smiled cheekily and sat close to the blonde.

Arizona grabbed the toy and softly tugged on it, unsticking it from the skin. The pediatric surgeon gasped when she saw that the suction cup had left a big round red demarcation.

"What?" Amelia asked, frowning at the sudden concern overtaking Arizona's features.

"You have a big red mark on your forehead," the blonde replied, trying her best to hold back the chuckle that was threatening to make it out.

"Right in the middle? Great! I must look like an idiot," Amelia pouted and frantically rubbed the spot to boost the blood flow in hope of making the bruise go away.

"Yeah, 'cause you looked real serious with a penis on," Arizona teased.

"You know what I meant," she rolled her eyes.

"I know," Arizona cued. She tilted Amelia's head forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You know, I'm sometimes scared that Sofia will stumble upon it and make a mess or ask questions I don't know how to reply to yet but maybe I should be more scared of you."

"Shut up!" the neurosurgeon exclaimed and playfully nudged her partner's ribcage.

* * *

"AMELIA! YOU WANNA EAT CHINESE, THAI OR PIZZA FOR LUNCH?" Arizona called out from their kitchen while glancing at their take out menus.

Feet could be heard, becoming louder and louder against the wooden floor with each step and revealed Amelia coming out of _their_ bedroom.

"I had another idea," she flirted as she walked towards the kitchen counter Arizona was currently leaning against. She made sure to over-sway her hips to make her intentions crystal clear, in case the burning want in her eyes and her suggestive tone weren't evidences enough.

It fell short however since Arizona's eyes were hungrily glued to the menus. Her blonde eyebrows furrowed every so often, reading with deep concentration as if she didn't already knew them by heart.

"What were you thinking?" the pediatric surgeon asked.

The brunette's arms wrapped themselves around her midsection and her head came to find its usual spot onto her shoulder. She took a deep breath in, the smell of Arizona's conditioner and light sweat tickling her nose. Her hand came to push down the papers onto the cold counter and she then gently pushed the honey blonde hair out of her way.

"Hey, I was reading tha-oh."

Her words turned into a moan when Amelia nibbled at her earlobe, knowing exactly how to make the blonde melt into her arms.

"I have my favorite meal right where I want it," Amelia whispered and captured the pale flesh into her mouth.

Shivers emerged onto her warm skin and ran down her spine only to end up sending a wave of arousal down her core. Plump lips traveled down her neck to meet her shoulder but they were quickly stopped in their rush by Arizona's tee-shirt. Mouth no longer touching her yearning skin, Arizona whimpered which made her girlfriend chuckle behind her, her hot breath coming to tickle the hair at the back of her neck.

"Babe," she whimpered out, not pleased.

"Don't worry, I'm not finished with you yet."

Amelia's lips found Arizona's other earlobe at the exact same time her hand captured a full breast. Already, a hard nipple was waiting for her, the point digging into her palm and silently begging her for attention. The neurosurgeon's lips peppered her now naked shoulders, making sure to treat them both with all the care they deserved.

One of the blonde's hand seized the side of the counter, in pleasure or in need to balance herself, Arizona didn't know while her other hand unashamedly grabbed her other boob. Amelia watched her, amazed and almost in trance at the view. Her fingers thoroughly copied her lover's ministrations. As Arizona's moans grew louder, her other hand journeyed down in between Arizona's body and the counter. Sensing the reason of her undoing approaching, barely had Amelia's fingertips passed by her panties, Arizona assuredly rocked her hips forwards to press herself into the much needed touch.

A loud groan escaped her as fingertips found her clit and leisurely circled it. The brunette wasn't even phased by the dampness she had found there and was glad since it made her movements that much more fluid. Arizona's hold on the counter tightened, her short nails digging into it under her unwavering pleasure.

Hungry lips attached themselves to the skin between her shoulder blades and Arizona's body wasn't certain which way to lean in with all the stimulus offered to her, each one better than the last. Burning kisses left her skin feeling on fire, her appearing shivers soothed a few seconds later by an eager tongue. Arizona was a slave to her body, her mind focusing on absolutely nothing except the adrenaline cursing through her veins more and more forcefully with each passing minute under Amelia's sweet torture.

Eventually, her whole body gave in to the inner bliss, a deep unexpected moan filling the silence of the kitchen and her pelvic bone arched into the touch. Amelia slowed down her hasty rhythm to let her lover ride out her high. She slowly snaked her arm around her waist, feeling the tensed belly muscles. The neurosurgeon pulled the other woman closer against her, her lips wandering onto every inch of skin that had been left unexplored previously. Her fingertips came to a stop and slowly retracted from the oversensitive place they loved teasing so much. The brunette placed her head onto her shoulder and kissed her right temple.

"Good?"

Arizona let a happy sigh and laced her hand with Amelia's. "Amazing."

"Even better then."

The pediatric surgeon turned into her arms to kiss her partner properly. She softly brought their lips together into a passionate kiss. While her tongue swept at Amelia's lower lip, two strong hands traveled down her back only to stop where her thighs met her butt. Arizona got the hint and carefully skipped into Amelia's longing arms, her strong leg wrapping around her midsection and her arms looping around her neck as the neurosurgeon hold her more securely against her. She could feel them moving but she was too damn busy kissing her partner to care where Amelia was taking them. For all she cared, she was plenty happy to stay right where she was, cuddled up and protected into firm sturdy arms.

However, the pediatric surgeon felt her butt delicately encountering their familiar sheets as Amelia gradually set them down onto the soft surface. She broke the kiss to get more comfortable, her arms and legs letting Amelia go as she wiggled her way back up in the middle of the bed. Amelia quickly discarded her clothes under Arizona's darkened and watchful eyes, her eyes never straining away from her body as if it was the first time she was discovering the smooth naked flesh, which made Amelia feel confident.

The brunette crawled back on top of her lover and pecked her lips before sitting back on her knees to help Arizona out of her yoga pants, wet panties and prosthetic. It was her turn to stare unashamedly at the blonde's curves, her tongue darting out to lick her lips unconsciously as she took Arizona's natural beauty in.

"Stop leering, perv," the blonde teased.

The few words pulled Amelia out of her trance and she looked up at Arizona questioningly, "Uh?"

"Nothing," Arizona chuckled.

The pediatric surgeon sat up and embraced the brunette closer to her.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Amelia asked agitatedly.

Arizona was a little taken aback by the barely noticeable yet still nervous behavior accompanying the question but welcomed the interrogation anyway.

"Fire away."

"I want to try something," she bit onto her bottom lip and her fingers anxiously toyed together. "But I want you to know that it's not because I miss it or anything because I really don't. It's just… I saw it this morning and I can't stop thinking about it and you ever since."

"You're going to have to elaborate Amelia," the blonde giggled.

The fingers toyed even quicker and the blonde took her hands into hers to stop them. She laced their fingers together and placed a kiss onto the back of her hand, all the while her eyes reassuringly bored into Amelia's ones, hoping the gestures would give the other woman the courage to speak up.

"Your strap-on? I saw it this morning when I was cleaning up. And it's not that I miss penises, I've just been wondering, you know."

"Babe, it's alright," the blonde squeezed her hands. "Just because we're in a lesbian relationship doesn't mean all phallic-shaped things must be banished into eternal damnation."

"I know. I just don't want you to think I don't like the way our sex life is right now because I really _really_ do. Trust me."

"I know, I'm there too," Arizona joked and pecked her. "It really is okay, I enjoy penetrative sex too. Nothing to worry about. Let me put the thing on."

"Wait. Really?" Amelia's eyebrow shot up and her heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah, unless it wasn't what you meant?"

"No, no, no. That's exactly what I meant."

The blonde grabbed her crutches that were leaning next to her nightstand and got up in one swift motion. Once the correct drawer opened, she took the not so mysterious anymore black box out and grabbed the desired harness and toy.

"Good thing there's no suction cup on this one," she teased playfully as she sat back onto the edge of the bed and put the straps on.

"Totally worthed it though," Amelia smiled boldly.

"I don't doubt that babe," Arizona turned around and kissed her sweetly. "Can you grab a condom and some lube from the nightstand please?"

"Sure," the brunette spread on the bed and grabbed the items.

Amelia expertly opened the latex barrier and slid it on the toy. The sextoy in itself wasn't extraordinarily big but it was still far from small sized. Seeing Arizona like this sent a whole new wave of arousal down to her privates.

Comfortably sat against the headboard, Arizona watched as Amelia eagerly straddled her legs. Her fingertips stroked their way up along Amelia's inner thigh until they reached a familiar wetness. Her mouth got lost onto the chest offered in front of her eyes, the pale silky skin begging to be touched, nipples diligently hardened waiting for their sentences. Amelia arched into the sweet touch, shivers ran all over her body while the warm lips wrapped themselves around one of the breast. Her hand came to lost itself into blonde hair as the other firmly gripped Arizona's shoulder.

The pediatric surgeon played around with her clit, keeping her touch deliberately light, much to Amelia's displeasure. Eventually two fingers found their way in and then three in order to softly stretch her walls and accommodate her better for later on. The brunette shuddered at the intrusion, the smallest content groan leaving the back of her throat. Arizona alternated between her lover's opening and her sensitive bundle of nerves until she was satisfied with the amount of body fluid.

"You ready?" she asked the brunette.

Amelia nodded so Arizona took some lube out and smeared it all over her strap on. The neurosurgeon stood up high on her knees and Arizona placed the head under her vagina opening while her other hand traveled onto her right hip to gently stroke it back and forth. She let the brunette slowly lower herself onto the toy.

She winced as the head made it in, her walls being pushed. "Sorry, it's been a while since I had something this big inside."

"It's okay baby, no need to apologize. We've got all the time in the world," she pushed a wild brown lock behind her ear and kissed her, her tongue quickly finding her partner's to duel.

Her fingers kept on caressing the smooth hip while her other hand found its place back onto a sensitive clit, Amelia's hips bucking forwards at the touch. Bit by bit, the brunette lowered her body onto the slippery surface until she was totally engulfing it. Her vagina felt like it was throbbing, expending in ways she wasn't used to anymore.

Arizona waited a tad for her to get more comfortable and then started to pulse into her. Her hips rolled without moving the toy in and out, simply shifting the angle inside Amelia and burying it slightly deeper. Amelia's clit rubbed against the base deliciously and soon enough, she was rocking her hips in perfect timing with her partner, dragging soft whimpers out of her throat. Arizona's mouth was all over her chest, peppering it with kisses everywhere she went, every so often playing with her hardened nipples.

After a while, Arizona's arm snaked around her back and the neurosurgeon was softly pushed onto her back, Arizona's other arm firmly planted into the mattress to insure a slow descent. Amelia bent her knees to accommodate Arizona in between them and gently squeezed the blonde's hips with her thighs. The pediatric surgeon kissed her lips and lifted herself up onto her elbow to get a better look of her now panting lover. Ever so slowly, her hips rocked backwards, pulling the toy halfway out before rolling them forwards and making the shaft disappear into Amelia with a moan, her face torn between pleasure and a grimace.

"You okay, sweetie?" Arizona asked, concerned.

Amelia nodded rapidly. "I'm alright. Just need some more time to adjust."

Arizona captured her lips into a breathless kiss, her breasts falling against Amelia's perky ones and her hand strolled from her hip to the smooth skin of her outer thigh. The blonde broke the kiss, her lips roaming down her lover's jaw and then falling onto her neck, nibbling at the flesh only to immediately soothe the barely reddened skin with a warm tongue.

"I'm ready, baby. You can go again," the brunette beneath her grinded her hips, hinting Arizona to start her rhythmic back and forth.

The blonde slowly lifted her hips once again, not getting the toy all the way out, instead setting a deliberate and unhurried pace until her partner was ready for more.

"Please, faster Zona. I'm not going to break, I promise."

The blonde's hips then rolled faster against hers, they met each other thrust for thrust and short clipped nails wandered the way down Amelia's ribcage until fingertips found her engorged clit and skillfully rubbed it.

Her back arched into the unexpected touch and her hand gripped the sheet tighter while her other hand grabbed the blonde's butt, trying to get as much of every move the blonde was giving her as she could. Arizona was panting against her shoulder, her warm breath tickling Amelia's neck thus making her shiver everywhere. The hand fumbling with her bundle of nerves securely grabbed her thigh and gently placed it up next to her torso, forcing a new angle in between them.

Amelia whimpered at the lost touch against her most sensitive part but quickly stopped when Arizona unexpectedly took the toy almost out and reared it back in, which made the brunette cried out in pleasure. She did it a few times before coming back to a much more gentle yet fast pace. Amelia's hand left Arizona's shoulder and replaced Arizona's digits on her clit.

"Fuck."

Arizona could feel her girlfriend's orgasm approaching. The hazy look into her eyes, the frantic movements of her hips, the way the toy was harder to get in as her walls were tightening around it… The neurosurgeon came quietly, her body tightening all over and her mouth hanging wide open, not a sound coming out. Arizona kept her pace and eventually slowed down as she could see Amelia ride out the wave of pleasure that had just overcame her body.

They kissed each other lazily, still panting and recovering their breaths, Arizona laying completely on top of Amelia. Her arms had long given up supporting her own weight and Amelia was tenderly stroking her bare back.

"Is it bad to say you fuck better than some of the guys I've slept with?"

Arizona giggled. "I have a good partner," she winked at the brunette.

"Sweet talker," the neurosurgeon accused playfully and kissed her cheek.

"I'mma pull out. You ready?" Arizona warned.

Amelia nodded but still whimpered once the toy was actually out. Arizona lay down next to her on her back, her chest heavy as her breath slowly came back to normal. Amelia cuddled onto her side, one of her hand came to play with the phallic form, poking at it and waiting for it to come back straight up before poking it again.

"Thank God it's plastic and not mine," Arizona commented and Amelia giggled.

"You should feel special. Didn't do that with my previous partners," Amelia joked.

"Why, thank you. I _do_ feel extra-special now," she played along and kissed her girlfriend's sweaty forehead.

The brunette unglued herself and turned onto her belly to look at the other woman with a playful smile.

"Good," she affirmed and pecked her. "Good," she then mumbled out distractively, her lips not quite pulled apart from Arizona's yet and pulled her into another kiss.

The hand that had been stroking her back came to lose itself into dark hair. Amelia used her position to her advantage and forced her tongue inside Arizona's mouth, eager to play with hers again. She straddled the blonde again and pulled away.

"Ready to go again?" she asked.

"I would love to but you'll have to feed me first if you want anything more from me. I'm hungry as hell."

"What are our choices?"

"Pizza, chinese or thai."

"Pizza? It's been a while since we last ate pizza."

"Pizza it is then," Arizona agreed wholeheartedly and her stomach groaned out in agreement.

"Cheese?"

"Yes please."

"Coming right up," Amelia pecked her and got up.

As soon as she had finished placing their orders on the phone, Amelia felt two strong arms looping around her midsection.

"Should be here in thirty minutes."

"I guess we have time for round two then," Arizona murmured into her ear.


	23. STORMS

**CHAPTER 23 - STORMS**

The neurosurgeon was woken up by the sweet smell of breakfast and strong coffee emanating from the kitchen. She patted around the bed with her eyes still closed but came up empty handed so she decided to get up. She lazily stretched her limbs around on the bed, taking as much space as she wanted since she was alone and she smiled happily as she realized how fucking awesome her life was at the moment.

She was an awesome surgeon who did killer surgeries that helped people. She was in a committed, stable, loving, drug-free relationship. She had a child in her life and even though she wasn't as significant as her moms to Sofia yet, they had a great relationship and it was only growing stronger every day.

She had just celebrated her thirty months of sobriety yesterday. For the occasion, Arizona had come with her to her NA meeting last evening and had snatched way more pictures than necessary of Amelia receiving her new chip. Then they had come back home, and the pediatric surgeon had offered her a present. She had handed her a small box and Amelia had gotten really curious. She had opened the lid only to find a small token inside. However, this one had been quite different from the one she had gotten a little earlier at her NA meeting since this one had been engraved.

The back had been engraved with Sofia's writing, reading "Te quiero a lot 'Melia" with a small heart drawn just below it and the front had been sporting a quote, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference". Amelia had almost shed a tear right then and there. She had mentioned that this quote had adorned her tokens when she had been going to meetings in LA, how she had used to stare at this quote for hours on end when her cravings had been bad and how it had helped her. The fact that the other woman had remembered had made her heart flutter in her chest and her belly had filled with thousands of butterflies.

The best part had come right after though. The part where Arizona had showed her exactly how proud of the brunette she had been feeling by showering her with orgasms until Amelia's body couldn't take it anymore. Ironically, the neurosurgeon couldn't remember the last time sex had felt so good and she hadn't been high.

Arizona was freeing her. The neurosurgeon wasn't living in fear anymore. She could talk freely about her past, her insecurities, her dreams… She could be herself, no hiding. She could let herself be vulnerable and yet still be the strong woman Arizona could lean on when she needed support. It had been a while since she felt like her life wasn't falling apart and that she actually wanted to get up and enjoy the ride.

Arizona was quietly reading in the living room when she heard feet shuffling against the floor coming towards her and a few seconds later, she felt the back of the couch move and Amelia's face appeared on her left shoulder.

"Hello sleepyhead," she bent her head backwards to get a better look at the brunette. "Slept well?"

"The best," Amelia kissed her languorously and she could taste the caffeine on her girlfriend's lips. "Coffee?" she asked with hopeful eyes.

"There's a cup waiting for you in the microwave."

"You're awesome," she went to the kitchen to heat up her drink, the microwave displaying eleven AM. "Fuck, I must have been pretty tired to sleep that late."

"I didn't know if I had to wake you up or not, but considering last night, I just decided against it. And you looked so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you," Arizona said from the couch.

"Thanks."

"I totally snapped a thousand pictures of you drooling over your pillow though," she teased playfully.

Warm mug in one hand and an apple in the other, the neurosurgeon sat down next to the blonde on the couch who was still nose deep in her book. She turned the TV on and changed the channel until she found the desired cartoons, setting the volume on low to not disturb Arizona's reading. One hand wandered onto the blonde's thigh, absentmindedly caressing it as she was absorbing the Scooby Doo episode.

Arizona kept on pretending to read, her eyes instead looking over the pages' edge to stare at the natural beauty that was Amelia Sheperd first thing in the morning, fresh out of bed. Hair down and tousled, eyes drowsy, the small pillow print across her cheek and last but not least, her-

"You're not very good at pretending to read Zona," Amelia said, her eyes not leaving the TV screen.

Arizona arched an eyebrow up and Amelia tilted her head to look at her, a smug smile on her lips.

"You didn't turn a single page since I sat down."

"Sorry," Arizona blushed, a little embarrassed to have been caught red-handed.

"It's okay. You can stare, I don't mind. I stare at you all the time."

"You do?"

"Hell yeah I do. Especially at your cute butt," Amelia wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

"I don't know what I expected," Arizona rolled her eyes.

"It's true though. I spent a lot of time looking at you, wandering what the hell did I do right to score such a perfect partner like you," she tenderly squeezed the other woman's thigh. "You're the Juliet to my… wait, Romeo doesn't really work here. I obviously shouldn't have chosen that one. I totally should have gone with Thelma and Louise. But I guess I'm committed now, so I'm going to go with other Juliet?"

"Dork," Arizona giggled and leaned in to kiss the other woman sweetly, "I love being the Juliet to your other Juliet."

* * *

Arizona and Amelia had the very unfortunate chance to discover that they were both scared shitless of thunderstorms at the same time.

It had been raining over Seattle since mid-afternoon and when both women had eventually gone to bed, the raindrops softly hitting their windows had lulled them right to sleep. However, the rhythmic and almost soothing raining had turned into a full rage on storm in the middle of the night.

The rain was now colliding forcefully and loudly with anything standing on its path, which woke the blonde up. The characteristic smell of the rain invaded their bedroom, slowly but surely chasing away the sweet homey reassuring smell usually reigning in the room, instead filling it up with a the smell of wet concrete and muddy grass and plain coldness.

Arizona could feel her anxiety growing more and more present with each passing minute, her sleepy body coming alive in the most unpleasant way. She wiggled around to face Amelia and sank further into her embrace, burrowing herself further under the warm covers and into her partner's arms, hoping it'd alleviate some of her inner tension.

Storms reminded her of the plane crash. When they had been stuck onto this stupid piece of land, storms had come and gone for days only to freeze them to the bone, their cold wet clothes clinging to their already chilled skin. She remembered the way the mud surrounding them had smelled, the way the rain had left every one with blue lips and blue fingertips, the way it had made them look just that much closer to death, the way it had attracted even more animals to Lexie's lifeless body, the way the powerful roaring of thunders had kept them up for hours on end, the way she had kept on hugging Mark closer for warmth… She remembered it all.

Nowadays, every storm, no matter big or small, it made the nightmare come to life again.

A thunder roared in the distance, and she couldn't help the yelp that escaped her. She closed her eyes harder than she needed to, squinting them shut until they hurt a tad but welcoming the pain anyway since it distracted her, even if it was only for a few milliseconds. She silently willed the storm to go away and she focused on her breath, deep breath in and slow breath out. Repeat over and over. Amelia's heartening smell filled her nose and she tried to visualize the beach with the calm waves.

But thunders kept on roaring and the small waves were harder and harder to visualize. The pediatric surgeon could feel chills running down her spine in fear and her throat started to tighten against her will. She felt Amelia jumped at an especially loud unpredictable roar and Arizona opened her eyes. She could feel her girlfriend's body slightly shaking and shivers running under her fingertips all over her body. Amelia was definitely awake.

"Amelia?" she asked tentatively.

The brunette sniffled. "Sorry, did I wake you?" she asked in a shaky breath.

Arizona could tell she was either crying or either was about to. She backed away from her safe place under the neurosurgeon's chin and moved up to look at her. Sure enough, a few tears were staining Amelia's cheeks and her eyes were red.

"No, I was already awake. The storm woke me up."

She turned on her bedside lamp dimly to reassure them and calm their uneasiness. A loud thunder made itself known again and both women jumped.

"Sorry, I'm scared of thunderstorms," Amelia confessed with a shaky voice.

"Me too. Reminds me of the plane crash," she provided without any further details.

"Reminds me of my dad getting shot," Amelia dropped in reply and at this very moment, Arizona's heart sank and she wanted nothing more than to protect her against the world.

It was the brunette's turn to bury herself into Arizona's arms. She put her ear near the blonde's ribcage to listen to the soothing rhythm of her heartbeat however, it did little for her anxiety since Arizona's heart was beating as fast as hers if not faster.

Amelia could feel her throat constricting and she had to fight back for air to come into her lungs. She tried to take deeper breaths but she couldn't. Her lungs felt wrong, like weights were crushing them down, making it impossible for them to fully expand and leaving her a little more breathless with each breath she was taking in. The fact that she couldn't breathe like she wanted to, like she _needed _to, made her panic even more and her crying intensified at her inability to control her own respiration.

Arizona noticed the change in Amelia's breathing, she was almost panting against her neck. Shaky fingers found their way into dark hair and softly combed through them, the gesture grounding not only Amelia but also herself.

"Breathe in, breathe out," the woman winced at how unconvinced she sounded. Even she could hear the fear in her voice. She tried again, faking confidence. "Breathe in, breathe out baby. You're okay. I've got you. Breathe in, breathe out."

Fake it 'til you make it, right? Arizona thought as she kept on whispering sweet nothings for the both of them. The blonde felt Amelia's breathing quiet down, instead letting place to sobbing. She figured sobbing was better than hyperventilation and felt relieved to have helped the other woman calm down. The brunette's hands gripped her pajama top tightly, as if she was afraid Arizona would fly away, and her tears smashed against the soft material. The blonde's heart slowed down, not quite beating within the norm yet but still a lot less faster than before, the loud sound of blood rushing in her ears now sounding more far away.

Shaky fingers kept on running through brunette hair. Arizona was fearful that if she stopped the slow repetitive movement, her breathing would skyrocket again and her body soft-shakings would evolve into unruly spasms. Trying to comfort Amelia from a panic attack while suffering from one at the same time hadn't been on her agenda for today.

They were almost back to normal when another, more powerful and more loud thunder roared awfully closer than either of them would have liked.

Amelia's quiet sobs increased exponentially once more, weeping loudly and her breath turned from almost-back-to-normal to erratic. She gripped the fabric tighter and tighter, her knuckles turning white but no matter how forcefully she held onto her partner's top, it never seemed to be enough. She could her Arizona's own crying coming to her ears despite the uncomfortable buzzing in them. She could feel the blonde's whole body shaking against her own, fingers not longer playing calmly with her hair and Arizona's comforting words transforming into painful cries.

Arizona felt helpless, panic overtook her body and she couldn't do anything about it. Even if she tried to think of the beach. All she could picture was a tsunami coming her way, the calm waves hitting melodically the shore were nowhere to be seen anymore. Instead, dark grey sky and force ten waves stared back at her and she just stood there in the wet sand, the raindrops and the cold wind harshly hitting her face. She couldn't move, she felt trapped into her own body. Her systems were shutting down one by one and there was nothing she could do about it.

Vision became blurry with tears and panic, oxygen was harder to breathe in, limbs shook violently, blood pumped into her ears louder… Suddenly, Amelia's own tear stricken face appeared right in front of her and firm yet gentle hands cupped her cheeks, thumbs chasing the tears away unsuccessfully. There were too many of them to simply be wiped away.

"You do not get to pass out on me, okay Robbins?" she ordered confidently. "You do not leave me alone in this mess, I need you. You have to stay with me," her voice broke and she sniffed. "I know I'm being selfish right now but you have to breathe for me. Because if you faint, I don't know what I'm going to do to take the edge off. So I need you to be okay so I can be okay too. Do you understand?"

The neurosurgeon appeared firm and driven even though Arizona knew she was feeling just as shit-scared as her inside. The blonde nodded, though she wasn't sure the brunette really saw it since she was shaking all over.

Moreover, the fact that Amelia had admitted out loud that alcohol and narcotics were lurking in a dark corner of her mind to help her deal with her anxiety only motivated the blonde to further calm down. She knew it wasn't healthy that Amelia's choice was either her girlfriend either drugs to deal with unusually big panic attacks but in this moment, she'd have to do. There was no way she'd let Amelia relapse after celebrating her thirty months of abstention just a few weeks ago.

Hands came over her ears, covering the harsh sound of raindrops crashing outside and she was rolled up on top of the brunette into a tight hug. Amelia wrapped the sheets impossibly closer to them, engulfing them with warm and unconsciously and unrealistically thinking this cocoon was going to protect them from the bad stuff happening outside, somehow make them untouchable. Shaking and crying were overwhelming them with such force it was hard to discern who was doing what.

Amelia's arms were squeezing Arizona tight in fear, but the restraining was preventing her wild shaking and it was actually soothing the pediatric surgeon. It made her lungs feel trapped though. Confined into such a small space, it made it impossible for them to expand fully. She looked up into dark blue eyes, the usual adoration and playfulness filling them overpowered by nothing but sheer terror and the blonde had no doubt she was sporting a similar look. The brunette tried her best to smile, it looked more like a grimace though.

Her shakes had almost subsided, so Arizona sat up onto her girlfriend's belly to clear her waist since her lungs were screaming for more air. She couldn't take her eyes off Amelia's. She couldn't stop looking at the only thing in the room keeping her in the reality plan instead of sending her straight to nightmarish plane crash dimension. However, while the blonde needed the restrain embrace to stop in order to breathe properly, Amelia was on the opposite side of the spectrum.

"Nee-need my b-bag," the brunette begged, out of breath.

Willing her tears to stop, the pediatric surgeon quickly moved and fumbled around in the bedside table's drawer to find one of the many plastic bags they kept all over the house. She straddled back the other woman's hips and the neurosurgeon placed it over her mouth eagerly, breathing in and out of it. The loud cries became a distance sob but both women's erratic breathing carried on. One of Amelia's hands fled to Arizona's ones to bring them to her naked shivering ribcage and gently pushed down onto it.

"Pressure, n-need it," she mumbled in between two sobs.

Arizona complied, pressing the ribs down and she noticed the hint of thankfulness in her girlfriend's eyes. The blonde focused on feeling the irregular up and down movements slowly return back to the normal rhythm right under her very hands. She could feel her own lungs opening up, finally seeking air like she was breathing for the first time. She enviously took a deep breath in and coughed at such an intake of air.

This time when the pediatric surgeon cried, it was because she could finally breathe normally again. Tears of relief. As she reached the end of her anxiety attack, the storm outside settled down and left Seattle with only a light rain, raindrops now brushing almost harmoniously against street lamps.

Serene bright blue eyes could see Amelia quieting down at her own success of finally breathing. The pressure on her lungs decreased and the anxiety bursting through her veins lessened. The neurosurgeon put the plastic bag aside, not feeling like she needed it anymore. Amelia couldn't say how long they stayed like this. Just looking at each other in the dimly lighted up room, making sure they were okay and safe and sound.

"You're shivering," Arizona said as she saw the shivers adorning her girlfriend's skin.

"I'm getting cold," Amelia provided back but made no move whatsoever to act on it.

She wasn't ready to let the moment go just yet. She needed a break in silence, only looking at the pediatric surgeon's now serene eyes and peaceful features. A moment to appreciate the way her body was sinking into the comfortable mattress, now hyper-aware of the soft expensive sheets against her naked back. A moment to absorb what had just transpired. A moment to let herself be vulnerable and defenseless and let her girlfriend see her in this state. Because she needed her to see.

She needed Arizona to see that she was fucked up too. That deep down, under the layers and layers of protection they put on every day, they were just the same. Just two women with a trouble past that had left them scarred and broken down and in dear need of therapy and accessorily petrified of thunderstorms. But they were dealing with it, together.

The blonde seemed to get that as she did nothing but just stared back her, her hands now gently resting over Amelia's ribcage, her thumbs caressing her skin lovingly. The brunette grabbed one of them and brought it to her lips to softly kiss her palm.

"Tired?" she asked knowingly.

"Exhausted," Arizona confessed shyly. "It's been a while since I-uh, since I had a panic attack this violent."

Because that what it was. Anxiety slowly creeping up on you out of nowhere and suddenly submerging your body and turning it against you until you couldn't do something as simple as breathing, it was violent.

"Me too. I feel like I need a fourteen hours power nap."

Arizona glanced at her bedside table. "Fourteen hours might be difficult, however we still have four hours until our alarm."

"I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep after this."

"Me neither," Arizona looked down and Amelia could see her pondering so she waited for what was coming after. "I'm scared I'll just have a nightmare. About the, you know, plane crash," she tried to shrug it off nonchalantly, as if it wasn't a big deal, but the crack in her voice and the pain in her tone betrayed her.

After a long moment of silence, Amelia proposed, "I-uh, I don't really trust myself right now. Can we-," she sighed and adjusted a lock of hair behind her ear. "Can we take a warm bath or watch mindless TV or whatever? I need something to distract me from the bad memories."

The other woman nodded with assurance and nothing but care and tenderness shined in her eyes. She took a hand in hers to softly kiss the other woman's knuckles. "That sounds wonderful."

* * *

Amelia entered her office and was taken aback to find Arizona and Sofia playing Uno at her desk. The sound of the door had apparently alerted them both of her presence and they looked up from their cards. Sofia carelessly dropped them as a wide smile spread on her lips and she ran towards the brunette to hug her knees.

"Hola Amelia!" she greeted cheerfully with a toothy grin while Arizona quickly fixed their mess up.

"Hi buddy!" Amelia said, surprised and scooped the little girl up in her arms by grabbing her under her armpits. "What are you guys doing here?" she kissed Sofia's forehead, the artificial smell of strawberry of the little girl's shampoo tickling her nose.

"Surprising you!" Big black eyes looked straight at her, sparkling with excitement. "Mommy made me a balloon, look!" she pointed to the air-filled latex glove tied up with surgical suture lying on the couch.

Sofia had drawn it two eyes and a smile, or at least Amelia assumed that was what the black doodles adorning it were supposed to be.

"Wow! Lucky you!" she said proudly to the brunette and high-fived her.

Arizona joined them and delicately kissed her girlfriend. "Hey sweetheart."

"Aren't you supposed to be in OR 3?" the neurosurgeon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Karev took the case," she shrugged, "So I took Sof' out of daycare and I thought we could have dinner together before we call it a day and head home."

Amelia felt her heart flutter. Arizona was always so thoughtful and warm and loving with her family in every little thing she did, no matter how small. Like waiting for her so they could have dinner all three of them together.

She gave the blonde an appreciative smile. "I would love too. Are you hungry buddy?"

"SIEMPRA!" the little girl shrieked and rubbed her belly eagerly.

"Her stomach has been rumbling for the last fifteen minutes. I thought a monster was living under your couch for a minute," Arizona teased her daughter and Sofia chuckled.

"Better feed it before it starts to eat itself then," the neurosurgeon tickled the kid's side playfully.

The small latina tried to wiggle out of the torturous fingers so Amelia put her back on the floor and Sofia took a hand of each woman in hers as they walked towards the cafeteria.

"Is Mama eating with us too?"

"Mama already finished working for today, so no sweetie," Arizona replied and squeezed her daughter's hand. "But maybe she can come over this week end so we can have a big dinner all of us together," she looked at Amelia for her agreement.

The brunette just smiled in reply. It had been quite a while since Sofia had had more than five minutes with both of her moms at the same time so a meal together would be nice.

Amelia knew that Arizona was still feeling hesitant to broach most things Callie-related, trying to tiptoe the subject most of the time and while the brunette understood where she was coming from, she thought it was pretty ridiculous. Callie had been and still was an important part of Arizona and her daughter's lives, so it felt natural for her to be around them and to talk about her freely. The brunette was actually really glad that Arizona and Callie were getting along. She knew it had been a long and hard road for them to get to where their relationship was standing today. Moreover, Amelia liked Callie, she was a talented surgeon, an amazing mom and a very interesting person to talk to.

She made a mental note to herself to talk about it later with the blonde before smiling widely to her girlfriend in support.

"That would be awesome. Would you like that Sof'?"

Amelia was glad to notice Arizona's body relaxing.

"Si! It would be so awesome."

"Gosh, she talks like you now," Arizona faked an annoyed tone and she rolled her eyes to tease her girlfriend.

Once at the cafeteria, Arizona scooped her daughter up in her arms so she could see the food choice and choose for herself while Amelia took whatever the little's girl was picking on her tray. As soon as she was done, the blonde put her back down on the ground.

"You find us the best table, okay baby?"

"Vale mommy," she looked around and spotted a familiar redhead playing vigorously on her phone. "April!"

The ginger perked up and saw Sofia coming towards her. She quickly scanned the area only to find Amelia and Arizona at the checkout.

"Hello kiddo!" she greeted and pocketed her phone.

"Can we eat with you please?" Sofia politely asked with big doe eyes April couldn't say no to.

"Sure."

She gently pushed the chair in front of her and the kid sat down. However, she frowned when she didn't see any food.

"Did you already eat?"

"No, 'Melia took my food on her tray so I could get us a table."

Two trays landed next to them on the table with a soft cling and the couple sat down.

"Darn, could you guys fit anymore veggies and fruits on your trays?

"Well, sorry for eating healthy, Ma'am French-fries and greasy-hamburger," Arizona teased back and Amelia started to give Sofia her things.

"Excuse me for wanting to enjoy my first meal since breakfast," she took an extra-big bite out of her burger and hummed loudly to the blonde with a big smile.

Arizona laughed. "You got sauce all over your chin."

April's smile fell as quickly as it had appeared and she whipped her face with her napkin.

Amelia leaned conspicuously toward the little girl sitting next to her. "Wanna see a cool trick?"

Sofia nodded enthusiastically.

The neurosurgeon looked at the redhead and then over the other woman's shoulder, "Hey, isn't that Dr. Summers over there?" she tilted her head towards the other end of the cafeteria, frowning to accentuate the truthfulness of her statement.

"Where?" the redhead asked.

Both April and Arizona turned around and the brunette sneakily stole one of her fries, directly putting it into her mouth. Sofia erupted in giggles which made Arizona immediately turned back around, suspicious about the reason behind her daughter's chuckles.

"Nevermind. Probably was someone else," Amelia dismissed with a wave of her hand and April went back to eating.

"What are you giggling about, Sof'?" the blonde asked, knowing something was up but not knowing what yet. She looked at her girlfriend who had a mischievous smile on.

"Nada, mommy," she said as she tried to keep her chuckles in by eating.

"Hum-hum," the blonde said with squinted eyes, obviously doubtful.

"Relax babe. She's just happy to eat with Kepner."

"Is that right kiddo?" the trauma surgeon asked.

"Si! Did you save a lot of people today April?" she asked, visibly excited.

"As a matter of fact, yes I did Sofia."

The pediatric surgeon coughed in her fist and teasingly muttered a "Cocky," before coughing again. The ginger glared at her and nudged her shin with her foot under the table.

"Ow!" the blonde shrieked more in surprise than in pain and both brunettes laughed at their antics.

"I did," April looked back at the little girl, "A big bus accident happened but we managed to save everyone who was injured."

Sofia's eyes grew as wide as sausages. "All of them?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't alone. We were lots and lots of doctors! But enough about me, what did _you_ do today?"

"I got to hang out with Tucker all day at daycare!"

"All day?" Amelia asked and pretended to be overly-surprised.

She knew Derek was off today so it was more than likely that the Sheperd-Grey kids had passed the day with their daddy.

"Si. We built a very high tower with kaplas, like it was mas grande que Tucker mommy! But then it fell down and dios mio," the little girl said, overdramatically letting her head fell backwards and her hands fell by her sides. "It took us foreeeeeeeeeeever to clean up."

All the adults at the table giggled, Sofia was so theatrical and adorable when she talked, it was almost impossible not to crack up.

"I had lunch with mama and I gave her the drawing that I had done for her. She said it was pretty and that she'd put it up on the fridge next to my perro drawing."

"What did you draw for mama?" Amelia asked in a light tone.

"Sirenas, 'cause they're mama's favorite magical creatures."

The three surgeons looked at each other with confusion written all over their faces, hoping that one of them would understand what Sofia was saying.

"What's a si…sirina, honey?" Arizona eventually asked.

"Sirena," Sofia corrected without thinking and then pulled a funny face, obviously focusing on finding the right English word for it. "Like Ariel? You know, the princess? She has a flipper and she lives underwater."

"A mermaid! Ariel the little mermaid!" April exclaimed proudly.

"Big fan?" Amelia smirked playfully and raised an eyebrow at the trauma surgeon.

The ginger looked back at her, appalled. Not only was her best friend teasing her but also her partner now. "You guys are terrible influences. See how mommy and Amelia are being mean to April, Sof'?"

Sofia simply giggled, hiding her face behind her hands. "They're just being silly! Mommy and 'Melia are never mean."

"Thanks baby," Amelia smirked at the redhead, the I-totally-win hanging unspoken in the air and then dropped a kiss on her daughter's forehead.


	24. FIVE MINUTES

**CHAPTER 24 – FIVE MINUTES**

Arizona was checking onto the Geller's baby in the NICU when two arms wrapped themselves around her midsection and a whisk of Amelia's perfume flew to her nose. As quickly as she had tensed up, she let her body relax and melt into the embrace. Her blonde hair was quickly pushed aside and soft lips landed onto her neck, peppering every inch hiding under there with sweet kisses. The lower she went, the more aggressive her kisses got.

"Someone is horny," the pediatric surgeon tilted her head to give the other woman more room.

"I am. Can't you feel my banana in my pocket?" the brunette teased, her voice slightly husky and gently squeezed Arizona's butt.

The blonde chuckled and turned around, effectively stopping Amelia's ministrations. She raised one eyebrow, "No, but I can definitely feel your grabby hands."

As if to prove her point, Amelia smirked smugly at her. "I thought you liked my grabby hands," she whispered provocatively and her mouth strolled onto the blonde's jaw this time, up and up until it reached that sensitive point behind her left ear.

Arizona's hand tangled into Amelia's dark mane, lightly scratching her scalp with her short nails in pleasure. A throat being cleared stopped both women dead on their tracks though. They quickly looked towards the source and found Karev standing ever so casually in the doorway.

"Oh please ladies, carry on," he smirked at them and leaned one shoulder against the doorframe. "Don't let my presence disturb you. The babies' obviously don't."

Amelia whined and let her forehead fell onto Arizona's shoulder, her arms falling by her sides.

Arizona squinted her eyes at him. "Don't you have someone else to bother?" she said, somewhat annoyed.

"And miss a little girl on girl action? No way," he replied cheekily and moved his eyebrows up and down. He stepped in and walked toward one of the babies, unrolling the stethoscope around his neck.

"God, I don't know how Wilson puts up with you," Amelia said.

"Me neither actually," Karev shrugged nonchalantly.

"I could fire you," Arizona said.

Karev shrugged once more. "Mmmh, you could but you won't. I'm too good of a surgeon for that. I learned from the best after all. Now, if you'll excuse me, some of us have _real_ doctoring to do," he said and popped his stethoscope into his ears.

"Cheeky bastard," Amelia whispered to the blonde.

"Well, that's Karev to you. Coffee?"

"Lead the way."

* * *

Arizona was parking her car in their driveway and she could spot Amelia and Sophia running all over the place, arms and hair flying all around as loud joyful shrieks filled the air. She took a minute to absorb the scenario happening in front of her because she honestly had no earthy idea what the heck was going on.

Sofia, almost wet from head to toe and wildly giggling, was chasing around the also soaked adult who was shouting "No!" over and over again, with a big sponge in her little hand. The pediatric surgeon could see two buckets still half full with water and, if Amelia's still drenched and clean car was any indication, a car wash had occurred not so long ago. The blonde got out of her car and the door closing noisily got the girls' attentions. Sofia dropped her weapon and sprinted towards her to hug her legs, the toothy smile never leaving her lips.

"Mommy!"

"Hey baby girl! Look at you, you're all wet!"

Sofia chuckled and explained, "We were washing Amelia's coche and then there was still water left so we decided to have a water fight since it's sunny."

"That I have no problem believing," there wasn't a day where Amelia and Sofia's carefree personalities failed to make her smile and forget all of her problems for a while. "That sounds fun!"

"It is!"

However, Arizona could see her daughter's lower lip starting to turn blue and quivering. "Go change into dry clothes before you catch a cold, baby."

"'Kay. AMELIA, I STOP PLAYIN'. MOMMY SAID I'M GONNA GET ENFERMA OTHERWISE!" she yelled to the brunette and rushed inside the house.

"BE CAREFUL NOT TO SLIP!" Amelia yelled back.

The brunette walked up to her, and Arizona could finally see the damages her daughter had done. Almost all her dark hair was wet, as well as her tee-shirt, the rest of her clothing had seemed to survive the battle though.

Amelia looped her arms around the other woman's neck and greeted her with a warm smile, "Hello there sunshine."

"Hey you," Arizona kissed her. "It would appear I'm too late for the wet tee-shirt contest, uh?"

"Well, it's never too late to join in," the brunette flirted as she eyed a sponge in one of the buckets.

"Alas, the groceries sitting patiently in the boot await for my return," Arizona said dramatically and sighed.

Amelia scrunched up her face and let out a whine, visibly disgruntled and Arizona couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction.

"I bought a little something for you."

Amelia's face lighted up in pretty much the same way Sofia's did whenever Arizona pronounced those words.

"Ben and Jerry's caramel and cookies ice cream?" she asked eagerly.

"No. Well, yes but that's not what I was talking about," her voice dropped an octave lower and she trailed a finger down the other woman's neck, down her sternum and her stomach and stopped at the jean short the neurosurgeon was wearing. She hooked her finger in one of the belt loops and pulled the brunette closer to her. The blonde approached her mouth near Amelia's ear and whispered, "I was thinking more… adult fun."

Arizona was quite happy with herself when she saw shivers running down the brunette's neck and the arms around her neck tensed up. She smirked proudly as she resumed her previous position.

"I can't wait," Amelia smiled big at her, gleeful.

"You're gonna have to, babe," Arizona laughed at the pout that appeared onto her partner's face. "Would you mind to go and see what Sofia's up to? I'm afraid she's transforming our house into a swimming pool," she gently smacked Amelia's behind before walking away to the car boot.

"Hey, that's my move!"

* * *

Little feet could be heard shuffling against the corridor wooden floor and Amelia took her book down just in time to see their little Sofia walking through the bedroom door, her stuffed toy safely tucked under her armpit. Sofia climbed up onto the bed and straddled the brunette's belly.

"Night night 'Melia. Te quiero," she said rather sleepily, her huge black eyes filled with nothing but drowsiness.

"G'night munchkin, I love you too," Amelia kissed her forehead and pulled her into a hug. When she felt the little girl's head slump onto her shoulder, her hand instinctively came to tenderly stroke it in a very maternal reflex. "Are you sure you have enough energy to go back to your bedroom?" she joked.

Sofia looked up at her and nodded while yawning, "Si."

"'Kay," she dropped one last kiss into her still baby-soft dark air. "Sleep tight, baby."

She slowly wandered off and Amelia almost feared she would fall asleep standing up on her way back.

Arizona was already waiting for her daughter in her bedroom, the sheets opened, the mattress screaming her name, and the book they had started yesterday opened at the right page. Not even fifteen minutes later, Sofia was out, lulled by her mom's voice. The blonde dropped a kiss on her daughter's cheek and tiptoed away, closing the door behind her as noiselessly as she could manage.

Teeth brushed, the pediatric surgeon went to her own bedroom and when Amelia spotted her, she cleaned up her book. The blonde walked up to their chest of drawers with her crutches and opened the last one to retrieve her gift. Amelia immediately recognized the tag, even from afar and a wave of excitement and exaltation ran through her whole body.

"Victoria Secret, uh?"

"Open it," Arizona sat down at the foot of the bed and handed the package to the other woman before putting her crutches under the bed.

"Why, thank you for the instructions my dear. I was almost at lost at what do next with this wonderful wrapped box you just gave me," Amelia joked.

Arizona glared at her in return.

"Right, right. Stoppin' now," Amelia chuckled and opened it, messily of course.

The blonde's heart skipped a beat at the excited and cheerful look emerging onto her partner's face as she was tearing the wrapping paper apart. Inside was sitting a beautiful light blue lingerie set. She carefully took the two pieces out and put it in front of her to get a better look. It was as revealing as it was gorgeous.

"Fuck, this is very sexy. Thank you a lot, sweetie," she leaned forward, and Arizona met her in the middle for a peck. "I do have one question though."

"Fire away."

"Is this set for you or for me to wear?"

"Whichever you want," Arizona shrugged. "It's blue so really, it makes both of our pairs of eyes pop out," she wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

"Awfully corny but cute. I'll allow it," Amelia chuckled.

"I figured whoever we'd agree on, we would still both be satisfied customers."

"You're not wrong on this one."

"I had you in mind when I bought it though."

Amelia bit her lower lip, knowing exactly what it did to the blonde. "Let's try it on then! Close your eyes," she got up and started to shed her clothes.

The pediatric surgeon played along and put her hands in front of her eyes as instructed. "You do know I've seen you naked plenty of times, right?"

"I know, but I want it to be a surprise."

"A surprise? Oh, surprise, you look breathtaking as always!" Arizona said sarcastically.

"Stop being such a wise ass and no peeking," she scolded back lightheartedly as she put the gift on. "Gosh, having panties on feels so strange."

"Don't worry, I don't plan for them to stay there long," the blonde flirted, her eyes still closed and her hands still in front of them.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

She dropped her hands and sure enough, Amelia was standing in front of her, looking absolutely breathtaking. The brunette could see the want appearing almost instantly into her girlfriend's eyes, the bright blue occupying less and less space as her black pupils were dilating.

The blue lingerie contrasted deliciously onto her lover's sun-kissed skin and the see-through lace revealed the perfect right amount of flesh, leaving enough place to the imagination. Just enough to give Arizona a glimpse of the other woman's curves but also just enough to leave her wanting more.

The brunette decided to taunt her a tad and twirled around, a devilish smile on her lips, then pretended to pose like she was a model. The seriousness of it soon went out the window though, instead replaced by Amelia's usual goofiness. She posed as awkwardly as she could and made faces instead which sent Arizona into a laughing fit.

"Why are you laughing? Don't I look pretty?" the neurosurgeon asked with her eyes crossed, her chin bent into her neck, her upper lip almost non-existent, hunched forward and her arms and legs bent into the weirdest angles humanly possible.

"You look fabulous," Arizona managed to get out in between two laughs.

Amelia finally broke her silly act, "Good, I would have hated to disappoint. You know, satisfied customers and all that jazz."

"Definitely satisfied. Worth the investment," Arizona giggled as she grabbed the brunette by the hips and pulled her closer until she was standing in between her legs.

"Good," she bent forward and kissed her, putting a wild blonde lock of hair behind her ear so she could see her beautiful face.

"You're the best dork a woman could ever dream of," she let herself fall back onto her back on the bed and brought Amelia down with her.

"Too bad for the all the women out there then, 'cause I already have everything I need right here in my arms. And then some more sleeping down the hall too," she said referring to the hyperactive bundle of joy she loved so much named Sofia.

She pulled Arizona into a kiss once more. The neurosurgeon could feel that the pace Arizona was setting into the kiss was different than usual though. It was deliberately much slower and felt more loving. A warm hand cupped her cheek, thumb stroking it sweetly and a tongue ran along her lower lip. Amelia granted her access without hesitation and Arizona drifted in, claiming every inch as hers. She felt shivers ran down her spine and a whimper escaped her. It seemed to urge the blonde on and a pajama clad thigh glided in between her naked ones.

Out of breath, the brunette pulled away and the sheer look of affection onto Arizona's face made her heart swell and butterflies erupt in her belly. She could feel something was up in Arizona's behavior. She didn't know what it was, but she could sense it. The ever-so present playfulness in her bright blue eyes had been overtaken by sexual craving and a glint of something else she couldn't really identify just yet.

So she let the pediatric surgeon take the lead, following her every move. The blonde swiftly turned them around to be on top. Kisses were peppered down the brunette's neck as her hands undid the buttons of her girlfriend's pajamas top. Arizona got more comfortable and straddled Amelia's hips, her lips wandering down to her collarbone and nibbling at the sensitive skin she found there, which earned her a breathy whimper from the other woman. She prompted them to sit up and gently pushed the annoying bra straps down Amelia's shoulders, out of her way. She then discarded her own pajamas top away.

Amelia's hand got lost into goldy locks and she tilted her head to the side to give Arizona better access as lips avidly latched where her neck met her shoulder. Arizona's hand strolled up Amelia's spine, loving the shivers she was feeling under her fingertips, until she reached her bra. In one swift motion, it came undone and she couldn't help but feel slightly proud of herself for pulling it off. Arizona quickly discarded it by blindly sending it flying somewhere in the bedroom. She tore her mouth away from the skin and un-straddled the neurosurgeon. Amelia grunted unhappily and scrunched her nose up.

"Someone's eager," the blonde teased as she took her last piece of her pajamas off under the other woman's fervent gaze.

The blonde then grabbed Amelia's panties to tug them off. Once both women free of their clothing, the blonde climbed back onto Amelia and lay them down comfortably. She settled in between Amelia's thighs and her yearning lips instinctively went to her chest and the hardened buds that were screaming for some attention. The way the neurosurgeon's back arched, begging for more and small moans filled the room, sent warm waves running towards Arizona's core.

The brunette could feel fingertips traveling down her belly before gently drifting inward one of her thigh, slowly stroking the smooth skin just next to where she needed her. She rolled her hips but Arizona simply put more pressure on top of her, restraining her so she couldn't lean into the touch.

"Patience is a virtue," Arizona said with an annoying smirk Amelia couldn't wait to wipe off.

"Well, patience can kiss my ass. I want you. Now," she said petulantly.

She pulled the pediatric surgeon's head toward her and hungrily crashed her lips against her lover's. Her tongue darted out without any prompting in search of Arizona's, her arms wrapping around her midsection to pull her infinitely closer. A hand grabbed the back of her knee to draw it up, placing it against Arizona's waist and fingers appeared on her clit. Taken by surprise, Amelia broke the kiss to groan and suddenly became very aware and annoyed that she couldn't move her hips the way she wanted to.

Opened mouth kisses made their way down her body and the neurosurgeon couldn't help the disgruntled sigh that escaped her lips when Arizona totally overlooked her core in favor of teasing her by taking care of her inner thighs. A hint of teeth made its apparition here and there as well as a warm tongue and Amelia was sure her thighs would be covered with hickeys. The brunette tried to buck her hips but Arizona was holding them with a firm grip, keeping her powerless.

"Babe," she whined. "Please stop teasing and just eat me out."

Arizona stopped her ministrations and slightly lifted her head. She bored her eyes into the two black pools Amelia's eyes had been reduced to. "I'm making love to you. Now hush."

Amelia huffed grumpily and Arizona chuckled.

"Stop being so damn impatient and just let yourself enjoy, will you?" the blonde said sweetly and dropped a kiss onto the brunette's stomach.

"Fine," she resigned with a sigh, obviously not fine with the idea.

"Wow, don't look so happy about the prospect of orgasms," the blonde teased.

Without any warning, Arizona sneezed and unfortunately for her, she bumped her forehead straight into the brunette's hip bone, making the both of them cry out, Arizona in pain and Amelia in surprise.

"Ouch! Fuck me!"

While Amelia was too busy laughing, the blonde's hand flew to her forehead and her fingertips lightly ran along the skin.

"Stop laughing, it's not funny! It freakin' hurts."

"I'm sorry but it _is_ funny!" she settled down and gently grabbed Arizona's chin.

She pushed the honey hair out of her way and took Arizona's hand away from her forehead so she could get a better look at the injury. She touched around, ever so lightly but Arizona pulled away immediately, pain on her features.

"Mmh-mmh, no touching. It hurts."

"I'm afraid you'll suffer a bad case of bruising for the next few days. Maybe a bump too," she caressed her partner's cheek in reassurance.

"Right on my forehead? Great! Between that, the big bruise on my shin from last time and the one on my elbow, I'm going to end up looking like a smurf. I'm never ever having sex with you again."

"You'd make a very sexy Smurfette," Amelia teased and kissed her. "A white bonnet and a white dress…"

"Yeah and you could be Gargamel. Trying to chase me around to make your magic soup," Arizona said playfully for the sole purpose of annoying Amelia. "And eventually you'd catch me and I'd be all like "oh no, please Gargamel! Don't throw me into that suspicious looking cauldron! You don't want to eat me! I'm a dirty smurf!"

"Your dirty talk sucks. Big time," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"Good thing I'm hot then, uh?" Arizona wiggled her eyebrows.

"Yes it is," the neurosurgeon kissed her languidly and took the upper hand.

She turned them around so she was on top of Arizona and started her own little exploration.

"What do you think you're doing?" Arizona let out with a shaky breath.

"Oh, haven't you heard? I'm a doctor and I've taken an oath to take care of the sick and injured. And I would appear that you just bumped your head on a very hard surface Ms Robbins. Now, that could lead to some serious injuries. I better check you out," Amelia said sultrily.

"What do you have plan for me Dr Sheperd?"

"I'm going to start with a full body exam to seize the extent of your injury," the brunette whispered in her ear and then made her way down her partner's chest. Her hand took care of one of her breast while her lips latched out onto the other. After making sure they had both received the same care, she looked up, "Ms Robbins, you're awfully tachycardic. Maybe it's the stress."

"Maybe you should help-help me relax then," Arizona proposed breathlessly.

"I certainly can."

Arizona didn't even need to look at her girlfriend's face to know she was sporting a smirk. Amelia kissed her sternum and her fingertips shyly brushed against the other woman's most sensitive area.

Amelia was regaled to see the pleasure taking over her partner's body as she set a faster pace. The way her thighs muscles were shuddering against her midsection, shivers emerging onto her tender flesh, her belly muscles tensing up, her hips rolling up to press harder against her hand, desperately trying to rock but not quite succeeding, the hand palming one of her breast and the sweet guttural groans breaking free from her bruised lips. At this very moment, every inch of Arizona was breathtakingly stunning.

She pressed herself further into the blonde, taking her time to explore her as if it was the very first time she was discovering her body. Fingers slipped into the blonde's core as her thumb took over and rubbed her engorged clit. Arizona couldn't help the guttural moan that escaped her throat and her back arched in pleasure, as if inviting Amelia to take care of her chest once more. Her lips wrapped themselves around one of the blonde's nipple and her tongue delicately caressed the sensitive bump. Amelia took her time, admiring every detail, taking in everything the blonde was giving her. Every whimper, every shiver, every muscle tensing up… The brunette played Arizona like she was her newest symphony and the blonde was more than happy to succumb.

The fingers inside her curled in the most delicious way and she could feel herself getting more and more close to her release. Her hand gripped the sheets tightly and her hips rocked wildly, trying to take as much of Amelia as she could.

After a few moments, a wave of warmth overtook her body and bliss ran through her veins as her muscles stiffened up in the most delightful way she knew possible. Amelia's ministrations slowed down, helping her through her high before finally coming to a stop and let her sweaty self fall next to the erratic-breathing blonde.

"I would like to prescribe you magic kisses. One in the morning, one at noon, and one before going to sleep. They should help with the pain and this medication is actually one hundred percent allergy-free."

"Is that your official medication?" Arizona giggled and turned her head to look at the brunette.

Amelia propped her head up onto her hand, her elbow digging into the mattress. "It is indeed. And maybe a little bit of arnica cream but that is just optional," she scrunched her face up.

"Thank you, Dr Dork," Arizona chuckled and hit her with a pillow.

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be? I give you serious medical advice and you hit me?" Amelia asked smiling and took a pillow behind her to hit her back.

Arizona yelped and sat up. She was about to hit Amelia again but the brunette tackled her down before she could and straddled her so her motion range was fairly limited.

"No!" Arizona cried out.

"Oh yes!" Amelia smirked playfully as she slowly brought her pillow high in the air.

"No, please!" Arizona gripped her pillow tighter and swung it right on Amelia's side.

It was enough to destabilize her and with the help of a hip kick, Arizona sent her tipping over with a yelp. The neurosurgeon fell backwards and her girlfriend was sporting a big smirk as it was her turn to straddle her in victory. Amelia was expecting a swing and braced herself by closing her eyes and putting her forearms in front of her face.

She was surprised when she felt hands softly separating her forearms and poked one eye open, only to close it when she felt Arizona's lips on hers. She moaned appreciatively and her arms snaked around her waist and settled onto her lower back.

"You realized that we just made a lot of teenagers' dreams come true, right?"

Arizona chuckled. "I'm pretty sure Mark Sloan is looking at us down from heaven with his biggest pervy grin."

"God. He would be asking for a threesome all the time."

"Of course he would. It's Mark Sloan."

They both laughed. Amelia kissed the blonde's cheek before heading to the bathroom, she came back with a tube of cream in between her hands.

"Arnica. Only the best for my girlfriend," she teased as she sat in front of Arizona.

"Can I have my magic kiss first, Doc'?" Arizona asked sweetly and made lovey-dovey eyes.

"Well, when you look at me like that, it's hard to say no," Amelia pointed out and carefully dropped a kiss onto the bruise. "It's going to be cold," she warned and spread the cream around, checking out the swelling at the same time. "Let me just wash my hands and I'll be ready for bed. This pillow fight was far more tiring than I had anticipated."

Arizona was safely tucked under her partner's chin, a relaxed arm draped over her waist. The ribcage was rhythmically going up and down against her head and the brunette's soft breaths were filling the room reassuringly. Only then, in the darkness and with Amelia asleep, Arizona allowed herself to taste out the thoughts that ad been floating in her mind earlier.

"I'm very much falling in love with you," she whispered so low that even she wasn't sure she had really said it out loud.

Her warm breath forced goose bumps onto Amelia's skin and the arm around her tightened ever so slightly. Only then, could she fall asleep.


	25. GONNA LOVE YOU

**CHAPTER 25 – GONNA LOVE YOU**

Amelia was in the shower so Arizona woke up alone to cold empty sheets next to her. She stretched her limbs around lazily, a few articulations popping here and there. She could hear the neurosurgeon's muffled voice softly singing along the water running and decided to join her. She entered the bathroom and was actually glad with herself for being naturedly pretty quiet since the brunette hadn't heard her come in and it gave the blonde a good occasion to spy on her partner.

As she discarded her pajamas, she could see that Amelia's shower routine had quite evolved. The brunette was now alternating between confidently air guitaring and singing her head off into her shampoo bottle-turned microphone for the occasion. As time passed by, the brunette let herself to be more carefree and let her guards down more often around Sofia and Arizona. It didn't go unnoticed and the blonde was happy to see her growing more confident and assured into their relationship, hiding less and less the parts of herself Amelia was judging too ugly or unlovable or simply weird.

"I almost feel like I should pay for this concert," Arizona joked and Amelia jumped, obviously frightened by the voice.

"Oh hey! You're up!" the brunette opened the shower door to invite her in with a charming grin.

"Are you sure you have place for one more in there or am I at risk of getting hit by your air-guitar?" Arizona said playfully and walked in regardless of the reply, leaning her crutches against the wall.

The brunette absentmindedly checked the blonde's hot body out and waited for her to be stabilized near the handle bars so she could snake her arms around her. She was greeted by her usual good morning kiss.

"Of course not," Amelia's hands strolled on Arizona's hips. "And now that you're here, we can duet!" she said cheerfully.

Arizona just shook her head, a smile on her lips and pulled her into a breathless kiss. Sometimes she couldn't believe that Amelia Sheperd, this great talented nationally-renowned kick-ass neurosurgeon was such a dork.

"How about we just focus on why we're here, huh?" she snatched the shampoo bottle from Amelia's hand and squirted some into the palm of her own hand. "Shampoo?" she proposed to Amelia.

Amelia nodded and turned around, offering her wet hair and naked back to the blonde. "I got in not long before you, I just washed my body. And you know we can shower _and_ still sing. The two are not mutually exclusive."

Arizona gently spread the shampoo around and washed Amelia's silky hair until there were enough bubbles to her taste. Her fingers then lingered onto her scalp and Amelia tilted her head back at the touch.

"I take it back. Who cares about singing when you can have a scalp massage instead?" she moaned and leaned back in even further.

Arizona passed a few more moments scratching her partner's head and eventually pulled her hair into a big bun on the top of her head and dropped a kiss on her shoulder, seeing shivers appear where her lips had been mere seconds ago. Amelia reciprocated the intimacy. She washed Arizona's body, the fresh flowery smell filling the air surrounding them. She started at her collarbones and worked her way down, mindful to keep her touch agreeable while still being effective. She knelt down to cover her leg and kissed her belly on her way up before grabbing the shampoo and washing the blonde hair too.

The neurosurgeon couldn't help but do ridiculous hairstyles. The pediatric surgeon definitely understood why Sofia liked bath-times with Amelia so much. After messing around and doing some more experimental artwork, she settled on one.

"Okay, this is my favorite so far," Amelia said proudly as she finished her girlfriend's shampoo Mohawk. "Makes you look extra fierce."

Arizona posed jokingly, sending the brunette into a laughing fit.

"Okay, you rebel punk, I think I got it."

Amelia grabbed the shower head and waited for Arizona to lean her head backward. She rinsed the bubbles out, being extremely careful to not put any into her eyes and ran her fingers through her honey blonde hair, mindful of the few knots she found there. She then rinsed the shower gel out and her own hair and body.

Feeling her right leg growing tired from supporting her weight for so long, even though she was using the handle bars, Arizona sat down onto the plastic chair that was folded back against the wall. It had been a requirement of hers when she had been searching for a house: it had to be accessible for a disabled person. If for one reason or another, she wasn't able to use her prosthetic and instead had to use her wheelchair, she had to be able to pass the doors and cook and shower and do everything she wanted in her house without any help. Moreover, having a chair in their shower just made shower sex that much more easy and comfortable.

The blonde grabbed the conditioner bottle and started to untangle her hair while Amelia shaved. Eventually, when they were both clean and ready to face the day ahead, Amelia turned off the water and opened slightly the shower door to let the warm air out. She grabbed one of the fluffy towels she had put onto the counter and handed it to the blonde before wrapping herself into another.

"May I help?" Amelia asked with eyes full of attention and care.

Arizona hesitated, but nodded when she saw Amelia's face. She knew the neurosurgeon wasn't asking because of her leg but because she genuinely wanted to simply be caring.

It had taken her some time to re-learn to appreciate the sweet attentions for what they were instead of a reminder of her disability. It used to make her so angry and mad at first. It made her feel like people pitied her, like they didn't believe she could do it on her own and it hurt. It hurt her pride, it hurt because she felt belittled and humiliated, like she was a burden.

But worst of all, it hurt because it was a constant reminder that her life wouldn't ever be the same. She would have to find a new balance. It hadn't been easy to grieve her past life and to be thrown into a new one so quickly, it hadn't seemed fair. And looking back, none of it had been fair, but unfortunately it was just the way life was. Stuffs kept on happening and you had to learn how to deal with it.

Her recovery had been a lengthy process to arrive to where she was standing today. It had started when she was still with Calliope and after their divorce, she had kept on working on it every day. It had been hard work: nights of crying, hours of standing in front of mirrors, sweaty sessions of physiotherapy and countless falls… But it had been necessary and now she could actually feel proud of how much she had accomplished over the last few years.

Arizona was awfully thankful for Amelia's patience with her. The neurosurgeon made it seem all so natural to care for her without being overbearing and trying to do things for her, treating her as her equal and not some project to fix or like she was damaged. It made the blonde feel extremely lucky to have found her.

Amelia grabbed her thighs to lift her up and gently sat her down onto the counter.

"Gosh, I may need to tone it down with the marking," she stated as she eyed her lover's thighs, full of bruises and almost all of them adorning a different shade. Amelia had a tendency to go a little overboard with thighs hickeys and she was just now realizing it.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want my girlfriend to find out I have a mistress," the pediatric surgeon joked with a playful smile.

"Shut up!" Amelia chuckled and softly swatted her with her towel.

"I have to say, it made for quite an uncomfortable moment when Derek walked in on me getting out of my scrub pants though."

Amelia frowned. "What? My brother saw you butt-naked? Why am I just learning about this now?"

The blonde giggled. "I would like to point out that, contrary to someone I shall not name, I do wear underwear. So inherently, if someone walks in while I'm changing, I'm actually not butt-naked. Unlike others," she said pointedly with an eyebrow raised.

"Once! It happened only once! And you were the one walking in and you didn't particularly seem to mind," Amelia smirked and pecked her lips.

"Mmh-mmh. I'm just glad it was me."

"Anyway, like Derek is the one to talk. Have you seen the scratches all over Meredith's back? Poor woman."

"Wow, I never thought I would see the day where you would get competitive with Derek over who is the most sexually aggressive," Arizona chuckled.

"Uh, God. Don't put pictures in my mind!" Amelia realized, horrified. "Yuck," she shook her head to chase away the awful thoughts that were unfortunately coming to her mind. "You're the devil Robbins, I'm leavin'," she said and put the blonde's crutches within her girlfriend's reach before turning around and leaving, swaying her hips more than usual to taunt her.

Amelia's thoughtfulness made Arizona's heart swell, the way the brunette made it look so easy to make sure the blonde could grab her crutches, the way Amelia made it so easy to fall in love with her. But before she could even linger on that thought, her mind was grasped by the neurosurgeon's naked form slowly and sensually going away.

"Babe, come back! I was joking," she whined childishly and grabbed one of her crutches to poke her.

It got Amelia's attention and she turned around, not moving any further or closer of her lover.

She squinted her eyes and asked doubtfully, "Did you just poke me?"

Arizona smirked at her. "What if I did?" she defied.

Amelia raised an eyebrow and walked closer until she was standing in between the blonde legs. "I'm afraid I have no choice but punish you then," she whispered as she leaned in very slowly to kiss her as her hands traveled onto the blonde's hips.

Arizona closed her eyes in anticipation and felt Amelia's breath caressing her lips. Barely were their lips touching though, the neurosurgeon tickled her sides.

* * *

Arizona waltzed into the scan room Karev had paged her in, appearing to be in somewhat a rush, her steps slightly faster than usual and a determined look locked onto her features. He was sitting in front of a laptop with an interested look, his head leaning to the left as he studied the screens intensely.

"You only got fifteen minutes. I have a thing at one PM," she informed him as she took a sit next to him, her eyes already wandering towards the bright scans.

Alex frowned. He didn't remember seeing Robbins' name next to any surgery on the surgical board. "Operating emergency incoming?" he asked curiously.

"Nope. Got a date," she replied flatly as she zoomed in to get a better look.

His eyebrows shot up, now he was interested. "Aren't you supposed to be here until tonight? Isn't She-Sheperd working?"

"We both are. Now would you like to talk me trough whatever I'm supposed to be looking at or are you going to keep asking about my private life?" she asked in a firm way that left no place for inquiry.

Alex raised both of his hands, he'd figure this out later. He turned towards the scans once more, "Okay, so as you can see this area…"

Arizona eventually entered the on call room on the neurology wing. Amelia was already sitting onto the bottom bunk bed, playing on her phone and Arizona recognized the Pokémon Go theme song. As the brunette heard the door opened and closed, she quickly pocketed the device while her eyes fell onto the blonde.

"You're late," she pouted playfully and got up to wrap her arms around Arizona's neck.

The blonde kissed the pout away and rested her forehead against the other woman's. "I know, I'm sorry. Karev wanted a last minute consult and the first elevator ride available stopped at almost each floor."

"Woe is you," Amelia pecked her once more just because she could.

Arizona seemed to get a different idea though and deepened the kiss, her tongue swooping against Amelia's bottom lip as she pulled her impossibly closer by the hips until there was no space left in between them. Arizona's hands soon started to stroll under her scrub top, searching hungrily for new skin to caress. However, her actions were quickly stopped and Amelia pulled away, her eyes slightly dazed.

"Uh-uh. I-I've a surprise for you first."

"Can't it wait?" Arizona asked raspily while her lips settled onto the neurosurgeon's jaw and her hands went back to her partner's ribcage.

Amelia softly pushed the blonde away by placing a hand onto her sternum in order to put some distance in between her and the cause of her increasing arousal. "I'm afraid it can't."

Arizona huffed grumpily. "Fine."

"Don't look so happy about it," Amelia teased.

The pediatric surgeon rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, visibly irritated. "I'm not. I wanna fu-"

"Shhh. Now close your eyes and hold your hands forward."

The blonde complied, still disgruntled, and held her grabby hands upwards waiting for the surprise delivery. "Is it coffee?" Arizona asked.

She heard Amelia chuckle. "Nap date for now, coffee date for later," she said.

Arizona heard a little bit of tousling around, some metallic sounds happening and then a loud humf.

"Okay, it's a pretty big package. You ready?"

Arizona nodded, now intrigued instead of sexually frustrated. Something was placed into her arms and she identified it right away. Her eyes fluttered opened, falling onto Sofia's smiling face.

"Oh, hey sweetheart!"

"Hola mommy!" she said excitedly with a warm grin.

"What are you doing here baby?" she repositioned her daughter better, sitting her on her hip.

"It's nap time, duh!"

The pediatric surgeon looked at Amelia questioningly and she shrugged. "Callie's working too so she was trapped in daycare. Thought it would be great to invite our munchkin to our kid friendly date. It's nap time for her too anyway so why not make the most of it, you know?"

"Ademàs, the nap room at daycare smells like feet," she scrunched up her nose. "I'd rather be with you and 'Melia."

This elected a giggle from both surgeons.

"Do you like your present?" the brunette asked.

Arizona could tell by Amelia's shy grin and her nervous playing fingers that she was insecure about the whole thing. So she wanted to make sure the brunette knew how much she appreciated her effort. She grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together to stop her from moving and planted a kiss onto her cheek.

"I do. Thank you a lot, baby."

The brunette's smile grew, Arizona's encouragement sending a warm fuzzy feeling into the pit of her stomach. "Let's get to bed then, I'll get your stuff Sof'."

The blonde sat onto the edge of the bed and took her prosthetic off while Amelia grabbed Sofia's stuff from the top bunk and the little girl took off her pants and shoes to be more comfortable. Arizona shimmied under the sheets and opened her arms to invite Sofia in.

The neurosurgeon handed their daughter her pacifier and her cuddle toy before spooning with her two favorite humans. The bed being designed for only one person, the three of them were forced to awkwardly squeeze together, but Arizona wouldn't have it any other way. Sofia was already yawning.

"All snuggly?" Amelia asked and she stroked her long black hair unconsciously to soothe her.

Sofia nodded and hid her face into the crook of her mommy's neck, her mouth sucking rhythmically onto her plastic pacifier as her eyes grew heavier and heavier at each passing minute. Not long after, she was asleep.

"Thanks. It was a really good idea. I hadn't realized how much I needed that," Arizona confessed sleepily.

"In all honesty, I kind of missed her this week. I didn't have a lot of time to stop by daycare to see her a whole lot. It's been hard."

Arizona knew exactly what she meant. Amelia was having a very difficult and emotional week. A lot of hard cases that took a lot of time and a success rate next to zero were leaving her struggling with her addictions. She had been crying a lot. She was going to AA more than usual. When Arizona wasn't at their apartment, Owen was always over. Arizona had caught her staring at her chip more time this week than she had seen they had started dating.

Amelia didn't want to be left alone. She didn't trust herself to be strong enough to resist the urge to prescribe herself some oxy and go out to the pharmacy to get some or go to Target and buy alcohol. Arizona did her best to help her through it: holding her as she cried, buying a lot a comfort food, listening to her struggles, sharing a lot of baths… And it helped. Amelia didn't know how she would have ended up this week if Arizona hadn't been there for her. All of this support and care were just making her fall in love with her all over again. She hadn't felt this cherished for in a long time.

But there was something about holding her child in her arms. It was _cathartic_. This little bundle of innocence and cheerfulness that made all her bad thoughts fly away almost magically. As long as Sofia was smiling at her and Arizona was by her side, it was all going to be okay. She just had to take it one day at a time.

"I have to say, overly maternal and protective Amelia is awfully adorable," the pediatric surgeon winked, followed by a yawn.

"Let's go to sleep honey. We're both tired."

"Can I get my good-nap kiss?" Arizona asked with big hopeful eyes, as if Amelia was ever going to say no.

"Of course," she leaned over, careful of Sofia sleeping and pecked her partner.

A few minutes later, Arizona was asleep and Amelia was resisting Morpheus' arms, wanting to savor every minute she could by staying awake. The pediatric surgeon looked beautiful like this. Her wavy blonde hair curtaining her angelic features, her natural pinkish lips slightly apart, her breath slowly teasing one of their daughter's wild brunette lock. Sofia was safely tucked into her arms, her small hand fisting her mom's scrub top in her sleep, her eyebrows furrowing every so often as she dreamt peacefully.

Amelia didn't know how much time passed like this before her eyelids finally closed for good.

Arizona was the first to wake up an hour later. Groggily, she opened her eyes and looked at her two brunettes, still sleeping. Sofia had apparently had enough of her and was now hugging Amelia, her little body almost on top of the adult as she tried to fit as much as the adult as she could into her little arms.

Eventually, after another thirty minutes of tranquility, they had to get back to work. Since Sofia was still fairly sleepy, Arizona just squeezed her back into her clothes and Amelia carried her into her arms back to daycare so she could wake up slowly on the way instead of having to walk. They kissed her goodbye as she sat at the drawing table and waved.

"You wanna get coffee?" Arizona asked with a yawn, which in turn made her girlfriend yawn.

"Sure. I think like I'm gonna be yawning for the rest of the day otherwise."

The blonde grabbed her hand and interlocked their fingers together. She gently tugged them towards the cafeteria. They were halfway there when the neurosurgeon got paged. She whined as she looked down at the offensive device.

"I have to go."

"I'll come by to give you your coffee."

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course. Wouldn't want you to fall back asleep during surgery," the blonde teased playfully.

"You're the best," Amelia kissed her one last time before walking away.

"I know," Arizona said smugly to herself and she kept on walking to the cafeteria, still in dear need of some caffeine.

She felt someone grab her elbow and April appeared next to her, falling in line with her.

"You got it really bad, girl." April teased.

"I do," Arizona replied lovingly to her friend, still into a daze. "She's just so adorable, I can't help it. We just had a nap date and she surprised me by bringing Sofia with her because she missed her. How can I resist?"

"Oh," the redhead cued. "That's so cute."

"I know, right? I'm so lucky to have her."

* * *

"Guess who has two thumbs and is the most awesome person in the whole world?" Amelia asked excitedly as she entered the surgical scrub room.

"Who?" Arizona asked as she took off her surgical gloves.

"You, duh," the neurosurgeon said with a wide grin.

"Thanks," Arizona blushed at the unexpected compliment, but it was definitely a confidence booster and a nice thing to hear.

"You're more than welcome. You rocked that OR. Did you see the stars in nurse Bokhee's eyes when you stopped that bleed from the iliac vein? Swear she had never seen a more perfect surgical move before. And don't even get me started on the intern. I think Wilson almost got a brain orgasm when you and Hunt decided to re-attach the muscle's tendon to save the leg. I know _I_ almost did."

Arizona chuckled and her arms came to rest on the brunette's shoulders. "Amelia?"

"What?" she asked with a goofy smile.

"Promise me you'll never change? I pulled off a forty eight hours shift, I just got out of a seven hours surgery standing up, my limb is aching in the worst way, it would be a miracle if I don't have a blister. I'm dead tired, this kid basically pulled every freaking trick into the medical book. He coded twice for fuck's sake! Yet, here you are, making me laugh and smile even though I'm exhausted and all I want to do is cry and sleep. You're perfect, don't ever change."

Amelia, not really sure what to reply, kissed her languidly instead. No words she could say could translate what she was feeling inside. So she kissed the blonde with all she had, hoping she would catch how much it meant to her. This was the closest thing she got to an I love you yet and already, it left her body all warm and fuzzy with her heart thumping rapidly in her chest.

"Only if you promise to do the same," she replied tenderly. Then, Amelia scrunched up her nose and Arizona could swear there was a glint of mischief floating in her deep blue eyes, meaning the other woman was probably about to say something silly. "But in the interest of full disclosure, I have to warn you that I _do_ plan on getting more and more awesome every year," the neurosurgeon kidded. "But I can totally tone it down a little, wouldn't want to outshine the true hero here."

The blonde shook her head, a chuckle escaping her.

* * *

"Bath?" Arizona asked as they took their shoes off, finally home after their long day.

"That sounds wonderful."

"I'll get the water started."

The blonde took out some towels and fresh pajamas before going to the bathroom and turning the faucet open. A few seconds later, warm water poured through and she put the stopper in. Arizona was removing her panties when Amelia walked in, a carton of orange juice in her hand while the other one rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"Thirsty?" she handed the carton to the blonde.

The woman took a few sips, the fresh and sweet fruity flavor a nice change from the bitter cafeteria coffee she had been drinking since this morning. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she put it away and started to undress while a naked Arizona stepped into the bathtub.

The warm water on her skin made her hiss contently, her sore muscles finally relaxing. The pediatric surgeon rested her head onto the edge and she stared unashamedly at every new inch of skin the other woman was uncovering. Her sharp and defined collarbones, the small mole onto her left shoulder blade, her breasts free of their restrictive cocoons, strong thighs covered with sun-kissed skin and soft hairs, the fading scar onto her right calf… Every new bit coming exposed was just as mesmerizing as the last. Arizona wouldn't be able to tear her eyes apart if she wanted to. As the brunette toed of her socks however, the pediatric surgeon saw something rather unusual.

"What happened to your toes?" the blonde asked with a bemused smile.

"Oh that?" Amelia wiggled them around, showing them off. "Zola and I gave ourselves pedicures yesterday. You like?"

"It's very… colorful," Arizona said politely with a giggle. Every toenail was a bright different color.

"Yeah, she went a little overboard with the colors but it's my feet. I figured, they pass all day long in my socks where nobody can see them so, why not go a little wild?" the neurosurgeon shrugged. "Scoot over please?"

The blonde did as she was told and Amelia slipped into the bath behind her. Once surrounded by warm water and comfortably lay down, her arms found their way around the other woman's waist to pull her closer.

"This is nice," the blonde said happily.

She could feel Amelia's flesh against her back, her naked breasts pressing against her shoulder blades. The water and comfortable silence surrounding them brought her the much needed soothing feeling she had been longing for after this long hard shift. The blonde let her head fell backwards and dropped a tender kiss onto her lover's jaw line. She was rewarded by a peck on her temple.

"It sure is."

The brunette grabbed a bottle from the edge and poured some of the blue liquid. Barely a few seconds later, bubbles were coming alive and the sweet smell of peaches filled the bathroom. Arizona closed her eyes and almost purred when Amelia started to rub her limb. She let herself be cared for happily for a while and she could feel her mind slipping in between consciousness and sleep. Eventually, the hands stopped their caring ministrations. She opened her eyes, ready to complain. However, the neurosurgeon's goofy smile welcoming her made the words abruptly dissolved in her throat.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you look awfully cute in bubbles?" Amelia asked.

Amelia just chuckled and gently pushed her nose against Arizona's neck, nuzzling it. "You too, honey."

"Zona, there's something missing."

Arizona frowned and racked her brain to figure out what Amelia was talking about but came up empty. "What is it?"

"You have to promise not to get mad," the neurosurgeon said with a cheeky grin and a glint of mischief in her eyes.

Arizona squinted her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows, knowing some bullshit was coming up by the look Amelia was sporting. But her curiosity got the best of her and she took the bait. "Okay," she conceded.

"Pinky promise?" Amelia got her wet pinky out of the water and the blonde grabbed it with her own to seal the deal.

That was when she sang. And of course, Amelia being Amelia, she just _had_ to sing "kiss the girl" by Sebastian from the little mermaid. Because, _of course._

"You, shithead!" Arizona shrieked, almost desperately and she lightheartedly splashed the other woman.

Amelia chuckled at her own little joke, obviously proud of herself but immediately stopped her torture.

"You're a meanie," Arizona complained and pouted.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Let me make it up to you," Amelia pecked her. "Scoot forward, I'll wash your hair."

"You better," the pediatric surgeon scooted and leaned her head backwards.

Amelia wetted them and applied the shampoo, careful to not put any into her partner's eyes. She shook her hands into the water to get rid of the bubbles and then grabbed the body wash. Ever so softly, she scrubbed Arizona's body and then did the same thing to hers. Once conditioner out of their hairs, the water was still fairly warm so both women decided to stay in and relax a little.

Within minutes, relaxing turned into good old sleeping for the tired blonde. The brunette didn't want to wake her up but the water was turning cold and the bathtub probably wasn't the best place to pass the night.

She managed to get out without waking Arizona and quickly wrapped herself into a fluffy towel. Leaning forward, she snaked an arm under Arizona's leg and the other around her shoulders and slowly lifted her up. Being the light sleeper she was, the blonde woke up naked, soaking wet into Amelia's arms and disoriented.

"You fell asleep," the brunette explained and sat her down onto the counter. She quickly threw a big towel over the blonde's shoulders and hugged her close when she saw her shivering.

"Sorry," Arizona mumbled as she yawned into Amelia's neck, relishing into the protective embrace.

"Don't apologize, baby. It's been a long day for you."

Teeth brushed, a half-lidded Arizona headed straight to bed, too tired to even put pajamas on or blow-dry her hair. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Amelia came in a few minutes later and got under the covers to join her sleeping girlfriend. The digging mattress disturbed the blonde slightly and she wiggled closer to the other woman.

"You're sticky," the pediatric surgeon stated as she cuddled closer from the heat source nonetheless. She was frowning with her eyes closed, obviously not happy with that fact.

Amelia gently pushed a damp wild lock of hair that had fallen in front of her girlfriend's face. "Lotion," she said simply and grabbed her book, not quite tired enough to go to sleep yet.

Two chapters later, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier with each word. Arizona had moved her body in between the neurosurgeon's legs, her head resting comfortably onto her belly and her arms wrapped protectively around her midsection. The brunette couldn't fight off the grin that was gracing her lips. Arizona made her feel so loved and secure, she silently promised herself to do her best to make sure her girlfriend felt this way too.

Before she even knew what was doing, she could hear herself sleepily whispering, "I'm falling in love with you," before pressing a soft kiss on top of the blonde's head.

She turned the lights off and went to sleep.


	26. SOMETHING ABOUT YOU

**CHAPTER 26 – SOMETHING ABOUT YOU**

_Whyyyyyy?_ was the first thing that came to Amelia's mind when she saw an ambulance pulling up exactly twenty-two minutes before her shift was supposed to end. Stressed paramedics rushed out of the vehicle and quickly rolled out the patient, spewing out his vitals to Kepner, Hunt and she at the speed of light.

"Matthew Anderson, twenty years old, male, unconscious for the last 7 minutes. Glasgow at 8 before he blacked out . Eyes 2, verbal 2 and motor 4. He was driving a scooter without a helmet, blunt force trauma to the head. Obvious broken ribs, which perforated his left lung, we have him on seven liters of oxygen. Saturation's been holding pretty steady at ninety-six percent. Belly awfully soft and right tibia-fibula double fracture. Probable right hip dislocation too."

It looked like her plan to just read Edwards' notes on their consults of the day until it was time to say goodbye wasn't going to happen after all. Instead, Amelia immediately started to check his pupils while the other two gingers focused onto his other injuries.

"Let's move him inside! I need a head CT ASAP, he has anisocoria."

"Head CT will have to wait. He's hemorrhaging, big time. I need to find the source of this bleeding to stop it otherwise he'll just bleed out while we wait for those head scans," Owen said.

The brunette finished up her neuro-exam as they kept on moving their patient inside the hospital.

"Okay. I'll come in anyway just in case. If he's having a brain bleed, he might seizure and I'll need to go in immediately."

Quickly, a few nurses and nurses' aids were preparing him while the surgical team was going through their usual hands washing. Before wetting her hand, Amelia took her phone out and called her partner to tell her that their plan for the night would have to be postponed.

"Hello 'Melia! You're leaving the hospital?" Arizona happily greeted her and the neurosurgeon could picture the wide smile that was probably illuminating her whole face.

"Hey babe! Not really. I'm sorry but I'm going to have to cancel tonight. Last minute in coming trauma," she said as she leaned against the wall.

"It's fine. I'm a surgeon too, I get it," the blonde chuckled. "We'll just go out tomorrow night instead."

"Still, it sucks," the neurosurgeon said honestly. "I really wanted to go to the funfair with you and Sof. She was so pumped up about it this morning, told me she was going to win the biggest teddy bear she could find. And I've been low-key craving cotton-candy since we agreed we would go."

Arizona giggled. "There'll still be plenty of teddy bears and cotton candy tomorrow. I'm sure Sofia will understand. Plus she's pretty tired tonight so she'll enjoy it way more tomorrow."

"'Kay. Kiss the munchkin goodnight for me?"

"What about me?" Arizona faked a sad tone.

"I can hear you pouting through the phone. I'll give you a kiss when I get home."

"Just a kiss?" the blonde asked, trying to be playful but with no subtlety whatsoever.

"We'll see," Amelia teased back. "I gotta go, I love you. Bye," she said before hanging up.

Arizona was left dumbfounded on the other end of the line. Amelia had just said she loved her. For the first time. Over the phone. Did she mean to say it or did it just come out? Who even cared? Amelia _loved_ her. A big grin appeared on Arizona's face and she felt a warm wave of devotion and affection run through her body. That huge dork that made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside and that she had the privilege of calling her girlfriend was in love with her.

"Mommy, you okay?" Sofia asked concerned, frowning deeply at the creepy grin adorning her mom's face.

"Yes honey! Amelia just called, she's being held back at the hospital so it would kind of suck to go to the funfair without her. We'll go tomorrow though. I'm sorry buddy, I know how excited you were."

"It's okay," Sofia shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm kind of tired from the swimming pool from this afternoon anyway."

* * *

When Amelia eventually came back home, it was close to one AM and she couldn't wait to fall face first into her pillow. She had already taken a shower at the hospital before departing, as to not wake Arizona or Sofia up by taking one once she would be back, so all she had to do was hit the bed.

She checked on Sofia who was sound asleep before going to her bedroom. She discarded her clothes in the dark, thankfully not knocking anything over, and her naked body climbed under the covers, coming to spoon her warm and sleeping girlfriend.

Being the light sleeper she was, Arizona groaned grumpily at the intrusion and turned around, squinting her closed eyes in disgruntlement.

"Hi sleepy head," Amelia greeted in her whisper and she nuzzled their noses together.

Getting close enough, she kissed the pediatric surgeon sweetly but Arizona pulled back, making a face and opening her eyes.

"Your nose is cold," she complained and then lighted up her bedside lamp, groaning when the dimly light came on.

"It only seems cold 'cause you're so hot," Amelia teased as she pecked the pediatric surgeon's nose.

"How did surgery go?"

"Resting in the ICU for now. We'll just have to wait and see how he's doing in the next twenty four hou-."

She was interrupted by two hands framing her face, pulling her face to face with the blonde who looked at her straight in the eyes with the most serious look Amelia had ever seen her use inside the four walls of their bedroom.

"What's with the serious face?" the brunette sounded concerned. "Is something wrong?"

The blonde caressed one of her cheek with her thumb and let out a heavy sigh. "I-I love you too," she stated with a shy grin and a timid voice.

A warm wave rushed through Amelia's body, great fear and immeasurable love left her with shivers all over and she could feel her heart rate increasing significantly faster as her brain slowly registered the three little words. Arizona loved her.

"You-you love me? As in, you're in love with _me_?" she asked to be sure she wasn't dreaming, because it sure felt like she was.

"Yes, you dumbass," Arizona chuckled and smiled widely at her, her bright blue eyes coming alive with what Amelia now knew to be love. "I'm in love with you."

Amelia let out a small laugh, still having trouble to believe it was real. "Arizona Robbins is in love with me."

Arizona laughed too and kissed her languidly to prove her it was reality. The brunette pulled away abruptly though.

"Wait. Too? You love me _too_?" she frowned deeply.

"Yes?" Arizona looked confused.

"But I never said I loved you."

"Yes, you did," the blonde was now frowning too.

"No I didn't."

"Except you did. Over the phone. "I gotta go, I love you, bye"," she imitated the brunette.

Amelia raised an eyebrow, judgy face on, clearly unimpressed. "Okay firstly, your imitation skills suck. I sound nothing like that. Secondly, did I really say that?"

"You did."

"Fuuuuuuck. I've been thinking about it so much lately, I guess it must have slipped out unconsciously. I'm actually impressed with myself. I've been going over hundreds and hundreds of scenarios on how to tell you but I just… couldn't get the words out. Good job brain," she grinned proudly.

Arizona glared at her. "Wow, if this isn't the big declaration of love that every girl ever dreamed about, I don't know what is," she joked.

"Shut up you goof. I'm in love with you," Amelia laughed and pulled her into a searing kiss.

"Come again?" Arizona smiled.

"I love you," she whispered against her lips.

"I love you," Arizona whispered back and her lips wandered onto the brunette's jaw line. As she peppered the silky skin Amelia was offering her, she kept on whispering those three little words. "Let me show you exactly how much I'm in love with you," she whispered sweetly.

"Gladly."

The pediatric surgeon's mouth got lost on Amelia's collarbones for a while but quickly found its path again when her eyes fell onto hardened nipples. The brunette's back arched towards the playful tongue with a small throaty groan, happy to let the blonde play with her body like she wanted to.

As Arizona headed more south however, she was surprised when the moaning stopped without any warning. She looked up and her eyes fell onto Amelia sleeping. Her chest was going up and down soothingly, her mouth slightly opened. That last surgery had gotten the best of her it seemed.

Arizona gently took the brunette's hand out of her blonde hair and turned the bedside lamp off to join Amelia to dreamland. Tonight thought, she didn't need to be asleep to feel like she was already there.

The first thing Amelia saw when she woke up the next morning was Arizona intensely staring at her with a wide smile on her lips. The blonde was leaning up on her elbow and her wavy slightly-tousled blonde hair was curtaining her face, giving her a soft glow seeing as the morning sun was shining straight through it. When Arizona saw her opening her eyes, her face changed to a pout.

"We shared I love you's yesterday and you fell asleep during celebration sex."

"I did?" the brunette asked groggily as she stretched out, memories of last night coming back slowly. "I did," she reinterred with an apologetic tone. "I'm really sorry babe. I was really tired," she tugged on Arizona's top to pull her girlfriend closer to her so she could kiss her. A hand pushed a wild strand of hair away and she cupped Arizona's cheek. "I love you," she said sincerely.

Her deep and intense blue eyes ignited with so much tenderness and love, Arizona felt invincible. She had the best kid any parents could ask for. Every day she had the chance of exercising her dream job. And now, she had the privilege of coming back home after a hard day of work to someone she was in love with and showered her with as much love as she was giving. She felt wild butterflies taking over her belly.

The pediatric surgeon tucked herself safely into the crook of Amelia's neck, happily nuzzling it and lavishing the smooth skin with soft kisses. "I love you too," she murmured.

Amelia let out a chuckle since the other woman's breath was tickling her neck. She dropped a kiss on top of her head and wrapped her arm tighter around the blonde's midsection to pull her closer. Her hand worked her way under the offending pajama top and stroked her lower back, her fingertips brushing the skin in the softest way possible, making Arizona melt and hum in response.

"I wish we could stay here forever," the brunette confessed.

Arizona giggled. "Yeah, forever might end sooner than we'd like though. I pretty sure I just heard the toilet being flushed which means Sofia's up."

* * *

Amelia didn't think she had ever seen Sofia's eyes quite light up the way they had when they had entered the funfair. In fact, her whole face had lighted up and hadn't stopped since then. Amelia wasn't sure she ever wanted to see that glow go away.

The bright colorful lights reflected into her wide dark eyes, making them look even more alive with passion than usual. Her childish yet so perfect smile had been plastered onto her face since they had first set foot into the funfair. Sofia was talking a mile a minute, excitedly dragging Arizona and Amelia everywhere. She was just so gleeful and so carefree, it made both women's hearts swell with love for their sweet little girl. A remaining of the toffee apple they had eaten earlier was stuck onto her left cheek.

"Mmmh-food!" Arizona adverted before licking the toffee directly off her daughter's cheek with her mouth.

"Mommy, no!" Sofia giggled and wiggled around so her mother put her down on the ground. "Stop eating me!" she shrieked.

"But you're so delicious!" Arizona kidded and made grabby hands and chased Sofia around, who just walked backwards to escape her while giggling.

Eventually the blonde grabbed her and proceed to fake-eat Sofia's full-of-sugar fingers.

"Yum-yum-yum!" she said playfully.

Amelia watched her silly yet happy family and she felt alive. Truly alive.

The high she was feeling right now, no amount of oxy or bottles of vodka would ever make her feel that way. That good and that happy and at peace. It scared the shit out of her. Because she knew that along such highs generally came such lows. The last time she had felt like this, she had ended up at her rock bottom, and she wasn't sure she could survive going through that again. She couldn't go through losing her family again.

But when Sofia was looking so damn ecstatic and Arizona was looking at her with so much love and care in her eyes, weirdly enough, the fear of failing and breaking into a million little pieces lessened. It was still there, lurking in a dark corner of her subconscious but her consciousness was screaming at her to enjoy what she had and to live her life at its fullest because she didn't know how long this kind of raw happiness would last, so she better cherish every moment she was passing with the two persons that meant the world to her.

Coming back to the present, she eventually decided to help the kiddo out. She took a tissue out of her purse and handed it to Sofia.

"This should help you out with the finger-eating monster."

"Thanks 'Melia," she said as she cleaned up her hands.

Arizona leaned back up and took the brunette's warm hand in hers. Amelia softly pulled her closer until she could kiss her.

As she let the blonde go, she chuckled, which earned her a curious look from her partner. "You taste like toffee," the neurosurgeon explained.

* * *

"Okay, this house of mirrors was a trap. We're never setting foot in one _ever_ again," Amelia complained irritably with a semi-angry face as they fi-fucking-nally walked out of the house after having taken at least twice the amount of time the stallholder had told them it would take them to get out.

"Pero it was funny!" Sofia giggled.

"I have to agree with Sof' on this one. It was very funny," she squeezed her daughter's hand and sent a teasing smile towards the brunette who was grumpily walking next to them, rubbing her elbow.

Amelia pointed her index at them accusingly. "It was only funny because I ran into so many glasses! And you guys let me do so!" she blamed which sent the duo into a laughing fit at her seriousness over such a silly thing. "It hurts, I'm going to be covered head to toes in bruises, thanks to the two of you," she crossed her arms petulantly.

"Poor baby," the blonde said playfully and leaned in closer to the brunette. "Want me to kiss it better?" she asked not-so-innocently.

"Yes."

She gently took the neurosurgeon's chin in her hand and bored her bright eyes into grouchy ones. She softly kissed each cheek, her forehead, her nose and ended with a sweet kiss on her lips. The blonde pulled away but before she could get away, arms looped around her midsection and Amelia's nuzzled her face into her neck.

"I take it you're all better now?"

"Yes," Amelia replied childishly and joyfully. "What should we do next, guys?"

"This!" Sofia pointed to a coconut shy stall. "I'mma win a teddy bear."

"Let's get going then."

Barely had Sofia thrown three out of the five balls that she had been given, had she decided this game sucked. It was too hard and it was crappy. The first two balls had flown way too far from the cans and the third one had barely grazed the top one. Arizona could sense the tears coming and the dismay silently growing inside her daughter.

"Do you want some help, honey?" Amelia proposed sweetly.

But before Sofia could reply, the pediatric surgeon interrupted her. "Remember when you and Zola played all afternoon long with these water bombs in the garden last week?" Sofia nodded, not really sure where her mommy was heading with this. "Remember how difficult it was at first to get your aim right so you had to focus really hard to get it right? It's just the same. I know you can do it, you just have to focus extra hard on the cans."

The brunette understood what Arizona was trying to do and added, "Mommy's right. If you could bomb Zola while the both of you were running, you can totally get those immobile targets. You guys run as fast as Usain Bolt, these cans ain't running nowhere. It's easy-peasy. Just take your time, munchkin. It's not a speed contest."

Sofia seemed visibly more confident and relaxed her shoulders, then made a show of warming up by spinning her neck around as well as her wrists. She grabbed her next ball with much more assurance and took a few moments to aim the targets just right. She threw it and actually managed to hit a large part of the tower, leaving only two cans at the bottom next to each other. Both women cheered at her proudly and loudly.

The last ball hit both cans and Sofia herself couldn't believe she had just done it all by herself, without any help. She opened her mouth widely but no sound came out, too dumbstruck to come up with anything. She could feel her heart beating a mile a minute inside her chest. The two adults behind were at least as excited as her, if not more, and when Sofia broke into a little victory dance, they chuckled joyfully.

"Congrats! What will it be for the young lady?" the stall holder smiled at her, obviously entertained by the little's girl attitude.

"This one please!" Sofia pointed to the stuffed animal she had spotted earlier.

He handed it to her, and the little girl struggled a tad to hug the massive cuddle toy.

"Thank you, sir."

"You're more than welcome kiddo!" he said gently. "Have a pleasant evening ladies."

"Thank you, you too," Arizona replied politely and they walked back into the crowd.

"Damn, that thing is almost bigger than you. Are you sure you're gonna be alright there?" Amelia teased Sofia who was having trouble to see where she was heading.

"No, I can't even walk right!" the girl giggled. "Can you or mommy hold it for yo please?"

"Of course honey," the blonde tucked it safely under her arm to free her. "What's next?"

Eventually it was beginning to be late and a star-y sky was slowly but surely falling, so they agreed on one last ride. Arizona decided to not go in since her leg was hurting due to the vibrations of the previous rides. Moreover, someone had to hold Sofia's price anyway. Instead, Arizona was waving at her girls from the ground and she was taking enough pictures to earn the title of paparazzi of the year. The wind was blowing the gleeful brunettes' hairs everywhere, revealing beaming smiles each time they passed near to where the blonde was standing.

When the attraction stopped, Amelia took the too-dizzy-to-walk-properly little girl on her hip and walked out.

"What did you think? Did you like it?" the neurosurgeon asked.

"Si! Especially when it was at the top aqui," she pointed to the highest mountain, "and then it went really really fast!"

They approached Arizona who was pocketing her phone.

"Did you see, Mommy? I did the last turn with my manos up! It was so cool!"

"Of course I saw you, sweetie! You didn't even scream, you were giggling the whole time!"

"Cause it's funny to be scared mommy! Si Am-" she stopped mid-sentence and looked suddenly very pale. "I don't feel so good."

"Where are you hurting sweetie?" Amelia asked while the blonde was frantically searching for a plastic bag in her purse, which of course had chosen today to play hide and seek.

"My barriga is hu-" their daughter promptly threw up right there and then, right on Amelia's coat and pullover and a little on herself.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Arizona mumbled as she was still rummaging through her purse. As soon as it was in her hands, she handed it to Sofia who held it in front of her. "Are you alright?" she asked the neurosurgeon who looked painfully uncomfortable and petrified, standing as immobile as she could in order to not move the puke around.

"I would like to say that it's not as bad as it looks but I'm pretty sure there's actual puke in my bra right now," she whispered in a flat tone and with a blank face, as the reality of the situation sank in.

Sofia eventually stopped being sick. Her face was a perfect mix between sad, terrified and apologetic.

"Pardoname Amelia. I didn't mean to be sick. One moment, I was feeling fine and the next I wasn't," her eyes started to water.

"It's okay, buddy. No need to cry. I know you weren't trying to make a personal statement," the brunette reassured and Arizona gently rubbed her back up and down to comfort her.

"Let's go to the car. I know there are some clean clothes in the boot and I think there are also some baby wipes," Arizona proposed. "How are you feeling, sweetie?" she asked, her tone worrisome and she placed a lingering kiss onto her daughter's forehead to check for a fever. Sofia's skin wasn't warm so Arizona relaxed a little.

"I feel okay now. I don't know what happened. Lo siento."

"No worries munchkin, you stop apologizing. Happens to the best of us, 'kay?" she reassured in a kind tone. "Guess it's time to go then! Thank God we had saved the best ride for last."

When they got home, both Amelia and Sofia ran to the bathroom to clean themselves up. Then Arizona checked her daughter out just in case. Being around sick children all the time had the bad tendency of making her mind run wild and contemplate the worst every time Sofia did something as simple as coughing. The blonde quickly took her temperature and tested the softness of her belly before Sofia could complain about her mommy going all doctor-y on her.

"Okay, it seems you're alright," she concluded and blew a raspberry onto her daughter's stomach.

Sofia chuckled and wiggled around in hope to get away from the touch. It was exactly the moment Amelia chose to enter the room. Her hair was hanging straight down, still wet from her shower and her pajama seemed at least two sizes too big for her.

"I knew something was up, I could hear you giggling aaaaaaaall the way from the bathroom," she lay down on her stomach next to the blonde on Sofia's bed. She looked over at her girlfriend with mischief, "Does mommy need help?"

"NO!" Sofia shrieked and tried to yank her top down.

But alas for her, she was too slow and soon two mouths were assaulting her belly until they had her crying uncle.

"Okay, I think my giggle tank in full for the week," Arizona joked as they stopped.

"Dios mio," Sofia said melodramatically with a big exasperated sigh. "Thanks! My abs are hurting."

Amelia opened the sheets so their daughter could hop in while Arizona grabbed the book they had started reading yesterday. Once she was comfortably settled in, each woman lay down on either side of the kid and the blonde read aloud softly. A few impressive yawns and a book later, the pediatric surgeon cleaned up the book and both women kissed their daughter's forehead.

"Nighty night, sweetie."

"Sweet dreams, baby. We love you."

"Good night mommy, good night 'Melia. Os quiero," Sofia replied sleepily and all cuddled up with her new giant teddy bear.

* * *

"I'm really sorry about tonight," Arizona said as she climbed under the covers next to the neurosurgeon and took her prosthetic off.

"What for?" Amelia frowned.

"The little..." she winced, "incident."

"What? Sorry I have a kid who is human and full of snot and other body fluids whose she doesn't have any control over?" the brunette asked with an eyebrow raised. "It's okay, babe. As long as she's alright, it's all that matters to me," she said truthfully and squeezed the blonde's thigh to accentuate her point. "I have to say, I never got puked on on a date before though. This was kind of an unforgettable experience. Is it your new way to seduce women? 'Cause let me tell you, I'm not sure it's a good move," she joked badly.

The pediatric surgeon glared at her which made Amelia giggle in response.

"Now, if I remember right, I was promised some quality healing kisses."

"Didn't get enough earlier?" Arizona teased with a smirk.

"No, I will never have enough and will always try my best to steal a few more."

Arizona chuckled at the reply and softly pushed Amelia onto her back to settle on top of her, enjoying the feeling of strong thighs coming around her hipbones to frame them. She wrapped her lips around Amelia's neck and she felt the other woman's hands wandering down her back, finishing their run onto her buttocks and pulling her closer.

"No need to go as far as stealing, I'll be more than happy to provide," she murmured against Amelia's neck, watching her warm breath making her lover's skin shiver.

Her mouth found its way to her girlfriend's pulse point and she gently nibbled at it before soothing it with her tongue. Amelia tilted her head and let out moan in enjoyment, revealing new skin to explore to Arizona. However, the blonde had others ideas and she moved further south until she came in sight of perky breasts. She toyed around with them, prompting Amelia to arch her back higher off the bed and to plead softly beneath her.

"Baby," the neurosurgeon moaned grumpily.

Arizona felt a hand getting lost into her hair and short fingernails grazed onto her scalp in a feather-like touch, which was probably going to leave her hair a mess. She could feel her partner's nipple turning hard into her mouth and before she could even think about it, almost like a reflex, her tongue darted out to play with the sensitive pinky flesh.

"Yes? Need somethin'?" Arizona husked out.

Her dominant and confident demeanor was cut short when the neurosurgeon took her by surprise and cupped her chest. The pediatric surgeon yelped at the intrusion yet leaned into it as Amelia's fingers kneaded the soft flesh expertly. She looked up only to witness Amelia giving her a smug smirk, the dark blue orbs reduced to a black sea of lust.

"No teasing," she instructed in a groan.

What Amelia hadn't expected though was the blonde giving her exactly what she had asked for. Barely had the words left her mouth, the warm tongue was back on her breasts and a hand slipped in between her legs, right where she needed her the most. Her hips rocked uncontrollably to lean forward, seeking more pressure.

A knock was heard on the door and their activities were stopped dead on their tracks. Arizona slumped back to her side of the bed with a huff and waited for Amelia to cover her body up with the sheets before calling Sofia in.

"Wait!" the brunette called out and smoothed Arizona's making-out hair down. "You can go on now."

The little brunette looked sheepishly at them and climbed at the foot of the bed.

"Can I sleep aqui tonight?" she asked as she played nervously with her hands.

Arizona looked at Amelia who merely shrugged.

"Sure buddy," the brunette said with a kind smile. "Go get Mr. Turtle and a book while we warm your spot."

As soon as the kid was out, the neurosurgeon threw on a sleeping tee shirt and some panties and got back under the covers.

"Definitely clam-jammed for the night. That munchkin is lucky I love her," Amelia said sadly but playfully.

Arizona laughed and pecked her. Her cuddle toy in her arms and safely tucked in between the two maternal figures, Sofia felt a little bit better.

"Lo siento again 'Melia."

"It's okay. But next time you don't like my pullover, there is no need to be so dramatic about it, just tell me so," Amelia joked and Sofia chuckled. The brunette felt proud to be able to make her laugh about something she was wrongly embarrassed about and to reassure her. "And at the risk of sounding disappointing, you're not the first kid to throw up on me. Baby Ellis does it all the time. Don't sweat on it, it happens. I'm just glad you're alright now," she kissed their daughter's forehead comfortingly.

"I think someone was just too excited," Arizona said as she played with Sofia's long and still-baby-soft hair.

Arizona started to read the book aloud just like she had earlier, only in a quieter voice. Once done, she was surprised to find not only Sofia asleep but also Amelia. She put the book away and snapped a picture of the two brunettes with her phone before turning off the light for the night.


	27. LULLABIES

**CHAPTER 27 - LULLABIES**

Since Meredith and Derek were both working tonight, it left Auntie Amelia and her girlfriend on nanny duty. Of course, both women were quite happy to do so since it had been quite a while since they had spent a whole night in their company.

Since Arizona had the day off, she passed it with Ellis and Bailey instead of letting them at the daycare. They spent the whole day playing around in the garden since it was sunny, and at the end of the afternoon, they went to school to pick Zola up. While they were waiting for the bell to ring, the pediatric surgeon caught a glimpse of Calliope standing a few feet away from them, so they walked over.

"Hi."

Callie looked up from her phone to see her ex-wife. "Oh, hey Arizona. Hi guys!" She waved at Bailey with a big smile and moved a little closer to see the sleeping baby on her ex-wife's chest.

"Hi Callie!" he replied with a childish smile.

"Baby sitting?" The brunette asked to the other woman.

"We're having a sleepover with Auntie Amelia since Mommy and Daddy are both working. Isn't that right Bailey boy?"

"Yep!" the little boy replied cheerfully.

"Wow! Lucky you! Do you-" she was cut off by the school bell ringing.

Among the screaming children running out, Sofia and Zola headed straight towards the adults, hand in hand. After a few minutes of shrieks and miles-a-minute-spoken anecdotes about their day, both girls eventually calmed down.

"Do you guys want to grab a snack with us before Sof has to go to her dance class?"

Sofia's eyes sparkled up with excitement. She hugged her mother's knees and looked up at her with warm chocolate eyes.

"Can we? Por favor Mamà?"

"Please Callie?" Zola and Bailey both pleaded.

Arizona and Calliope both laughed at their attitudes.

"Sure."

A few waffles in their stomachs and empty plates later, Sofia's and Callie's time to go eventually came. They hugged everyone goodbye and departed. After cleaning up, Arizona found herself feeding Ellis her bottle while helping Zola out with her homework. Bailey was just happy to entertain himself in the garden and to run around with a sword toy.

Midway through her homework, the front door opened and Amelia walked in. Bailey threw himself at her with open arms and the neurosurgeon caught him, happily spinning them around.

"Okay Bailey boy, I have to stop otherwise I'm going to be sick," she said as she tickled his belly.

The little boy giggled and wiggled out of her embrace to escape her playful fingers. The brunette entered the living room and kissed her niece's head.

"Hi Zola."

"Hi Auntie Amelia."

She moved up to her girlfriend who had her arms full. "Hello babe," she kissed her lips. "Hello baby girl," she said tenderly, looking at Ellis with a wide smile. "You look like you're having a feast," she rubbed a soft clad feet. The baby stared back right at her and played grabby hands with her auntie's hair as she kept on sucking the warm milk out of her bottle. "How about I start dinner while you guys finish those math exercises?"

"You would be a gem," Arizona said lovingly and Amelia just had to kiss her again for being so cute. "I already took the dinosaurs nuggets out of the freezer."

"Alright missy, time to give me back my hair," she gently tugged on it and went to the garden.

Bailey was actively sword fighting with some wild flowers. Before she could interrupt him, she took her phone out and filmed a short video of Bailey to send to her brother.

"Munchkin, want to help me cook dinner?"

"Can I finish my fight first?"

Amelia laughed. "Sure dude."

* * *

"I had almost forgotten for how long babies can cry over absolutely nothing," Amelia whined as she let herself fall gracelessly on the bed next to Arizona, head digging straight into the pillows and making no effort whatsoever to move and breathe correctly.

The pediatric surgeon was already under the sheets and cleaned up her phone.

"You call that long? You should have heard Sofia when she was still a baby."

The brunette got rid of her clothes and wiggled her legs around in order to take off her pants, feeling way too lazy to get up. "Was she a big crier?"

"She didn't cry often per se," Arizona shrugged. "But the rare times she did have crying tantrums, she had Mark and her mommies in for a show. Nothing would calm her down. _Nothing_. It would go on and on until she'd fall asleep from exhaustion."

Free of her clothes, Amelia got her naked self under the covers and cuddled up with her partner to warm up. She tilted her head and puckered her lips for a kiss, which Arizona granted her.

"I have a hard time believing it. I think the only times I've seen her crying is when she's having nightmares," she yawned.

"Maybe she already shed all of the tears she had for this lifetime," Arizona joked.

A hand lost itself into wild dark locks, the fingers caressed her scalp and Amelia let out a happy moan. It was Arizona's turn to yawn.

"Let's go to sleep, babe."

The blonde turned the light off and moved around so the brunette could spoon her. Arm thrown loosely over her waist and cold feet tangled with her own, the pediatric surgeon went straight to sleep. In the middle of the night though, the blonde was woken up by Zola.

"What's up, sweetie?" she asked groggily as she lighted the bedside lamp up.

"I had a nightmare," Zola whispered anxiously. She was visibly nervous and self-conscious, playing with her fingers and squirming.

"Do you want to sleep with us?" Arizona asked.

Zola looked down, even more embarrassed than she did thirty seconds ago. "I wetted the bed," she whispered really low and Arizona could easily see that the little girl's eyes were watering.

She sat up on the edge of the bed and took Zola's little hands in hers. "Oh baby, it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"But I'm seven. I'm too old to wet the bed."

A few tears made their way down her cheeks and Arizona brushed them away. Her heart broke in half at the shame and horror the little girl was exuding.

"Oh Zola," she took the kid in her arms and looked at her dark black eyes that reminded her very much of Sofia's. "It can happen to anyone, okay? It doesn't matter how old you are. If you have a really scary nightmare, it can happen. It happens to plenty of adults too. It's no biggie."

"Really?" Zola asked, rather unconvinced.

"Yeah, totally," a new voice made its apparition. Amelia sat up, holding the sheets to her chest and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "It happened to me too. And I was twenty eight."

Zola's eyes almost popped out of their sockets and Arizona suddenly had so many questions to ask the neurosurgeon.

"Did it suck? Big time, because I had to change the bedding in the middle of the night and I'm a lazy ass. Was it embarrassing? A little bit, not going to lie. But was it a big deal? No. I'm totally fine. Like Arizona said, no biggie. Okay?"

"Okay," Zola replied with a sigh of relief, obviously still embarrassed by the whole thing but a lot less than before.

"How about you girls go wash up and I'll change the sheets?" the brunette proposed.

Arizona grabbed her crutches from under the bed and followed the African-American little girl.

"Come on Zo', let's grab some fresh pajamas."

Pajamas and towels in hand, the blonde turned the hot water on, letting the bottom of the bathtub fill itself.

"Do you need any help, honey? Or are you good on your own?" the pediatric surgeon asked.

She knew Zola was old enough to take a shower without needing any adult supervision, much like Sofia, but since she had just had a nightmare, Arizona wasn't sure whether Zola wanted to be alone or not.

"You stay," Zola instructed her.

Arizona took a sit next to the tub so she could help Zola out if need be.

"Are you going to tell my parents?" the little girl was worrying her lips between her teeth.

The adult raised an eyebrow. "I'm not telling them anything if you don't want me to, but I think it could be helpful."

"I don't want to tell them," she shook her head strongly.

"Don't you think they could help? Just like your Auntie Amelia did?"

"It's not the same," Zola shook her head again. "Auntie Amelia knows what it's like. Mommy and Daddy don't. They won't get it."

Arizona chose her next words carefully. "Don't get me wrong, it's great that you can relate with Auntie Amelia about it but I think you should give your mommy and daddy a little more credit. Maybe they didn't have to go through the same… issues than you and your auntie's but they're your parents. They're not here to judge or belittle you. They just want to help and care and love you. No matter what."

"You really think they won't get mad?" she asked with her eyes looking down at the bottom of the bathtub and her voice full of shyness.

"I'm sure they won't, sweetie," she gently cupped her cheek, hoping to comfort her. "But it's still your decision at the end of the day, okay?"

Out of her bath and now in warm pajamas, they went back to Amelia's/guest room where the neurosurgeon, clad in pajamas, was waiting for her niece with open arms.

"Come here, Zozo."

Zola crawled into them and Arizona climbed behind her. Sandwiched between the two women, Zola fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

"Did you really wet the bed at twenty eight years old?"

Amelia looked surprised by the question. It was a rare thing that either of them actively asked the other woman a question about traumatic personal events. This kind of sharing - where they revealed such an unlovable and ugly part of their past, where they spoke about their rock bottom and darkest moments and showed their most vulnerable side to the other person - it felt too disrespectful to just _ask_, like an invasion of privacy somehow.

Instead, they took whatever the other was ready to give them. It might take time and they might have the story in bits and pieces at a time but it was just how their relationship worked. They didn't expect the other to be open about everything they had ever been through when they, themselves, weren't confident to do the same, or simply didn't want to share something they weren't quite ready yet.

The blonde didn't look curious though, so Amelia knew she wasn't asking out of pure curiosity but it was apparently hiding something deeper. So she decided to reply, hoping that whatever was bothering her girlfriend would come out.

"It happened a few times towards the end of my pregnancy. It wasn't really due to my night terrors though, it was more due to the fact that Christopher was a tall baby and that my bladder was the size of a grape at that point, if I'm being honest. But Zola didn't need to know that part, she just needed to be reassured." The 'just like you seem to need right now' hung into the air, unspoken. "Night terrors have their ways of making your mind and your body do things that you never thought you ever would," she half-whispered sincerely, her eyes bored into Arizona's as bad memories came back to her mind.

Amelia took Arizona's hand in her, interlacing their fingers and the blonde distractedly played with them. Amelia could see she was stalling time. Eventually, the blonde talked. "It happened to me."

Amelia squeezed her hand, hoping to comfort the blonde and encourage her to open up.

"After the plane crash and the leg… I had those really bad few weeks, hell, months, where every time I'd be asleep, I'd relive the crash over and over again. I remember waking up covered in cold sweat, crying and frantic, having no idea of where I was, having peed myself and hyperventilating. It was really scary and awful and humiliating on so many levels," she cleared her throat, trying to push down the emotions and the upcoming tears. "With uh- with time, it got better but I still have some bad nights here and there as you already know."

"You go to the beach," Amelia said with care.

"I go to the beach," Arizona nodded and gave her a shy, barely-there smile.

Amelia kissed the back of her hand. "I'm so proud of you," she said, truthfully. "You're a fighter, you wear your battle scars so proudly. I hope one day, I'll make you as proud of me as I am of you."

"I'm already so proud of you, Amelia. You're too harsh on yourself. You're always scared that you're going to fall off the train. Truth is, I know that you're going to fight like hell not to. Every day I pass with you, I grow more and more awestruck by how strong you are."

"Now, you're just trying to make me cry," Amelia kidded to diffuse the tension. The brunette was pretty bad at taking truthful and heartfelt compliments.

"Nope. Just making sure my partner knows how much she's worth to me," Arizona said sweetly as her thumb stroked the brunette's hand.

"I said stop," Amelia joked. "I'm going to get big headed."

"Like it isn't already the case sometimes," Arizona teased.

Amelia rolled her eyes. "No goodnight to you little fucker."

"Goodnight, my sweet little grumpy buttercup. I love you. And watch that potty mouth of yours, we have a child here."

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

"No, I really don't."

* * *

Arizona was quite happy to finally get home after her shift. She couldn't wait to feed her hungry stomach and wash away the hospital smell from her skin. Moreover, both Amelia and she had the day off tomorrow so they could have a late morning in.

Only one step in their home and she could tell the atmosphere in there was very different from the usual calm Friday night she had been expecting to find. The ambiance radiating was far too energetic and far too lively for her tired self. As soon as had she walked past the threshold, she was yanked vehemently to the right only to be lightly hit by an unknown flying projectile in her left arm. Unprepared, she yelped and almost lost her footing.

Sofia was standing right in front of her, both hands securely wrapped around her toy gun but immediately put her hands up in sign of unfairness. She had her pajamas on and her still damp braided hair attested to the fact that she had showered.

"You can't use mommy as a shield, that's wrong!" she whined unhappily at the adult.

Still frozen in place, Arizona looked behind her to see Amelia, her brunette hair slightly disheveled and she was a little out of breath.

"I _so_ can," she grinned smugly and stuck her tongue out.

"What's going on exactly?" Arizona asked, completely lost.

"We're having a nerf battle, mommy," Sofia explained. "And Amelia's cheating," she added grouchily and crossed her arms.

"Am not!" the neurosurgeon argued petulantly.

As the word _battle_ registered in her brain, the pediatric surgeon glanced at her home and she internally winced at every new square inch she discovered. "There are projectiles all over the house," she said slowly, still taking in the state her living room was in. She then looked at her daughter. "And you, young lady, are supposed to be sleeping. Have you seen the time? " she squinted her eyes.

"Zona, it's Friday night, chill. Let the kid have some fun," Amelia argued.

"Yes, vale, mommy, it's viernes night."

Arizona squinted her eyes harder, both at Sofia and Amelia.

"Come on, don't be a party pooper babe," the brunette took the blonde in her arms, throwing her her flirtiest smile in order to charm her way out of trouble.

"You just want to keep going because you're winning," the blonde scolded.

"So?" Amelia said goofily and raised an eyebrow.

"You aren't going to be when we finish this battle," the little girl said sassily.

"Oh, okay. I see how it is. You guys can finish alright but you're the one putting her to sleep," Arizona replied to her girlfriend, knowing Sofia would not go down without a fight after having been this over-excited.

"You're the best!" the brunette said and let go of the blonde to high-five Sofia.

"Si, you're the best mommy ever!"

Arizona rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes. While you guys continue, I'm going to shower. Try not to break anything."

But she was talking into the void, Amelia and Sofia were already playing again.

When Arizona came out of the bathroom with her crutches, she was pleasantly surprised to find her home projectile-free, lights out except for their bedroom and Sofia's room, Amelia's voice echoing softly in the corridor. She followed the light and entered her daughter's room. Sofia was all snuggled up under her sheets, her little body spread on top of her girlfriend's who was reading her a story. The pediatric surgeon sat onto the edge of the bed, careful to not disturb them.

"Nighty nigh, sweetheart," she quietly murmured and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"G'night mommy," Sofia replied rather disinterestedly, her eyes transfixed onto the picture drawn onto the page in front of her.

"Don't I get a kiss too?" Amelia pouted playfully.

"Yours will be impatiently waiting into our bedroom," she winked teasingly at the brunette, whom smiled in response.

"Amelia, que dice please?" Sofia asked as her little fingers ran over the writing.

Arizona seized the opportunity to step out and let her tired body happily fall onto the squashy mattress. She was on her phone, texting April, when she heard footsteps so she put it down. However, she was surprised to see Sofia appearing instead of her partner, her cuddle toy protectively tucked under her arm.

She frowned, "What did you do to Amelia?"

"She fell asleep in my bed," Sofia replied sheepishly.

Arizona rolled her eyes because, of course Amelia did. She almost wanted to get up, snap a picture and wake her up so she could come to bed with her but she decided against it. If the brunette had fallen asleep, she was probably as exhausted as she was. Arizona didn't want to disturb her.

"Of course she did. Come here sweetheart," she lifted the sheets next to her up and beckoned to her daughter.

The little girl eagerly crawled onto the warm spot next to her mom. "Don't worry mommy, I put la cobija over her so she wouldn't get cold, just like you do whenever we fall asleep on the couch."

Arizona kissed her forehead and one of her hand gently caressed her daughter's tummy, soothing her and hoping to calm some of her excitement down. "Thank you baby. That's very thoughtful and nice of you. Did you have a good day?"

"Si! We learned a new poem at school and it was Samy's cumpleaños today so he brought candies. Then Amelia picked me up and we did my homework together so I'm okay for the week-end and then we played outside. Y luego we ate. We made ketchup spaghetti! It was soooooo good. I ate so much I thought my barriga was going to explode mommy," the brunette giggled and cuddled closer to her mother, melting more and more into her arms with each passing minute, her mother's smell surrounding her and relaxing her every muscle.

"Please, tell me you ate some vegetables or at last a fruit, starchy food monster," she poked her daughter's belly, electing a giggle.

"I ate a kiwi?" Sofia said finally, putting on her best please-trust-me-on-this-one-and-don't-ask-any-question-'cause-I'm-lying smile. Arizona raised an eyebrow suspiciously and Sofia let out a small sigh before muttering, "Vale, it was half a kiwi. But it still counts as uno entero because it was a really big one!"

"Mmh-mmh, does it now?" Arizona said with a bemused smile.

"Si. And Amelia taught me to check if the pasta is done."

"Yeah? And how do you do that?"

"You have to throw it on the wall! If it sticks, it's ready."

"Oh god, she's creating a monster!"

Gosh, Amelia and Sofia together was a dorky item Arizona had never imagined she would have the privilege of calling her family, but now, she couldn't picture her life any other way.

In what seemed to be the middle of the night, Arizona was woken up when she felt the bed dug beside her. Groggily, she tried to turn around but a hand came onto her arm to stop her. Eyes still closed, she could feel a few rays of sunshine shyly caressing her face, not bright enough to be disturbing yet. Not the middle of the night then, she concluded.

"Just me," Amelia whispered in her ear. "Scoot over. Sofia's totally starfishing my side of the bed and I don't want to wake her up."

The blonde scooted forward blindly until Amelia could comfortably get in bed behind her. The brunette threw her arm around Arizona's midsection and glued her front to her girlfriend's back as to not fall but also because she just wanted to enjoy the feeling of Arizona's body against hers.

"Mr. Turtle is nowhere near as comfy as you are," the brunette mumbled as she kissed the clad shoulder in front of her.

"Shhh, sleep," the pediatric surgeon mumbled back and tugged on Amelia's arm so she could melt further into the protective arms that had gone missing last night.

When the brunette woke up a few hours later, her arms were empty. She patted around carefully and her hand fell onto a waist way too little to belong to her lover, which only let Sofia as a possibility. She opened her eyes, mindful of the aggressive bright sunlight and she was greeted by two big black irises and a horrible case of bed head staring right at her.

"Hey Sof," she greeted sleepily, stretching out her every articulations, a few pops escaping here and there.

"Hola," Sofia kissed her cheek.

The neurosurgeon pulled her closer by her waist to cuddle back with her."How long have you been up, kiddo?"

"I dunno," the kid shrugged. "Not long."

"Where's mommy?"

Sofia shrugged again nonchalantly. "Dunno. She wasn't aqui when I woke up."

She glanced at the clock and noticed it was still pretty early for a real morning in. She also saw that Arizona's prosthetic was still there so the blonde must be near.

"Wanna go back to sleep?"

Sofia nodded eagerly and snuggled into her arms. If there was one thing that smelled better than Arizona, it was without a doubt Sofia. Childhood memories mixed with artificial strawberries and sunshine flew to her nose, faintly sparking up her maternal instincts.

And Sofia even felt as good as Arizona too. The way her arms were still too short to snake around adults properly, the way she fitted perfectly against her, not quite a baby anymore but still a child enough to be easily picked up, her innocent and delicate features enveloping an adorable and thoughtful human in construction inside. Sofia was ridiculously perfect.

Hearing footsteps, Amelia turned her head and saw the pediatric surgeon with her crutches walking up to the vacant side of the bed.

"Hi baby. Where were you?" she whispered as to not disturb the sleeping child.

"Restroom," she glided back under the covers and leaned in to get her morning kiss. "I leave for two minutes and I'm suddenly excluded from the group hug?" she joked.

"Always have a place for you, Zona. Come here," the brunette lifted her arm up and the blonde cuddled close to their daughter so Amelia could embrace the both of them. "This feels nice," she mumbled out happily, a smile on her lips.

Arizona bored her pale blue eyes into darker ones and brought Amelia's hand to her lips to kiss her palm lovingly. "Family time always does," Arizona replied earnestly.

Because that was what they were. Sofia, Amelia and her, they were a family. A loud, dorky, unconventional one but it was _hers_ and she wouldn't change it for the world.

After her divorce with Calliope, Mark's death and a few flings here and there, Arizona had resigned herself to think that her family would only ever be Sofia from now on. She had already been married to the one and she didn't think she would ever find something like that again. The kind of love that Calliope and her had shared. That connection they had had, so deep and powerful and passionate that it had forcefully and tumultuously consumed them both alive until they had became just shadows of themselves.

That visceral connection that could be the best drug ever injected in your veins and send you flying so high you were becoming dizzy. But over the years and the fights, it had turned into the worst venom, painfully burning Arizona's whole arterial system. The kind of venom that had left her in cold sweat in the middle of the night, not allowing her to sleep, with her heart beating so fast with guilt and shame and so much ache that it had almost broken in two.

She had never expected or had thought her heart would ever flutter the way it had used to. She already had had her one great chance at love. She had a kid, she was divorced, her job was her life, she was slowly but surely approaching her forties, she was disabled and suffered severe PTSD... She had just resigned herself, accepted the fact that she would never find a relationship this strong and precious again. She had just thought she was too much to handle. Too much to be date-able in a woman's eyes. She had wished to find a partner again, she just hadn't thought it would happen.

Yet, here Arizona found herself, her heart beating strongly, butterflies in her stomach, knowing that if she ever find herself having a shitty day, it'd all be alright. Sofia and she had a new member to add to their family.

Amelia felt a heart skip a beat at the revelation, immediately understanding the importance behind those few words, and she almost felt like crying from happiness. She had a _family_. It almost felt too good to be true. She had people who knew her, knew her past and her struggles, knew about Ryan and her unicorn baby, her addictions… They really _knew_ her. All of her and yet, Arizona and Sofia still accepted and respected her and _loved_ her no matter what. She had a place where she could be herself and no one was judging. She had people to look after and people that looked after her. She even had a kid who looked up to her, something she never thought she would have.

The brunette smiled widely and her trembling lips and teary eyes made her look that much more beautiful to Arizona's eyes. She squeezed Arizona's hand and saw happiness irradiating onto her girlfriend's features. She looked at the three of them, all cuddled up into the bed.

"Family," the neurosurgeon whispered, as if tasting the word into her mouth, getting accustomed to it.

They stayed like this for a while, both of them staring lovingly at the bundle of joy sleeping peacefully in between them.

"She looks so adorable when she's sleepin'," Amelia said to Arizona.

"I think so too. So peaceful and so pure. I used to watch her sleep for endless hours when she was a baby, wishing she would stay this little and adorable," a hint of nostalgia could be heard in her tone. "She used to do this cute thing in her sleep. She would sometimes sneeze and her chupeta would come out of her mouth with the force. She would always pat around until she'd find it and she would put it straight back into her mouth. All the while staying deep asleep of course," she brushed a few strands of hair away from Sofia's face. "I couldn't believe she was mine. Still can't sometimes."

"I get it. She's the most precious thing I have ever laid my eyes on," the brunette said dreamily and she looked at the blonde. "Your butt is totally second place though, so don't you worry about that," she winked playfully.

Arizona looked at her with a serious yet fed up expression onto her features. She opened her mouth but before she could get any word out, Arizona's phone rang.

"You on call?" Amelia asked, her eyebrows shooting up.

"No," Arizona frowned and grabbed her device. Her brows furrowed at the name, intrigued. "It's Calliope," she took the call. "Calliope?"

The ringing seemed to have disturbed their little girl, Sofia woke up and stirred a bit.

"Hi there baby," the neurosurgeon whispered and softly caressed her back, letting her take her time to wake up.

Sofia's hands rubbed her drowsy eyes as a big yawn escaped her and she then proceeded to stretch her limbs. She looked around the room and saw her mommy on the phone so she climbed on top of Amelia instead.

"Hi," she replied back.

"Slept well?" she dropped a kiss onto her forehead.

"Si. I had mommy all for myself almost all night," she teased.

"Lucky you," the brunette playfully poked her belly which made Sofia giggle. "It's no wonder you'd rather sleep in here than in your room. Your bed is way too small. Do you know how I woke up?"

Sofia shook her head and looked at her curiously.

"My feet were dangling out at the bottom and I was getting cold. So I tried to wiggle myself up in my sleep and I smacked my head straight into your headboard."

"Hurt?" Sofia immediately asked, concerned about her step-mother's well being and feeling a little guilty to not have woken her up last night.

"Nah, I have a pretty thick skull so I'm alright. Probably have a bruise or a bump though."

The child laughed. She tried to hide it by putting her hands in front of her mouth but the little giggles escaping her and the sparkle shining in her dark chocolate eyes betrayed her.

"Oh, you think it's funny?" Amelia asked jokingly, a big smile on her face. "My pain is funny to you?"

"Lo siento," Sofia apologized, still chuckling. "Pero it's funny. And no serious pupas so it's okay."

"Wait, let me ask her. She just woke up," Arizona said on the phone. The blonde put her hand onto the microphone and looked at her two brunettes. "It's mama on the phone. She wanna know if you're interested in having breakfast at Wendy's. But you're too tired right?"

Sofia immediately sat up, making the bed lightly shake and even though she was fairly light, her little butt digging into her lower belly, and inadvertently her bladder, without any warning made Amelia groan out grumpily at the disturbance. "I'm up, I'm up!"

Arizona laughed at her sudden change of behavior. "I thought so. Go get dressed baby." She took her hand off to talk to her ex-wife again. "Sof's excited. We'll see you there in thirty minutes? Okay. See you," she hung up the phone and turned towards her girlfriend. "We better get up now. Sofia's going to be extra-fast to get ready."

"I'm only coming if I'm allowed to order doughnuts for breakfast."

"You are a _child_," Arizona chuckled and pecked the neurosurgeon.

Amelia deepened the kiss as she wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist, effectively trapping her on top of her into her protective embrace. Arizona didn't seem to mind though if the soft whimpers escaping her were anything to go by. Out of breath, Arizona broke the kiss.

"Isn't every adult just a child that reached their full potential?"

Arizona rolled her eyes and poked the other woman's belly. "Whatever. You're a grown ass woman, you can feed yourself whatever you want for breakfast."

"Mmh-mmh, whatever I want?" the neurosurgeon asked huskily as her two hands squeezed her partner's butt tenderly, her eyes leaving Arizona's eyes to land on her inviting lips.

Amelia captured her mouth into another kiss, more fiercely this time. Her thigh slid in between Arizona's legs and she carefully pushed Arizona's center onto it. The blonde let out a moan in both, pleasure and surprise.

Arizona broke the kiss but stayed close, her lips still touching the brunette's with a feather-like touch. "Stop. I know what you're trying to do and we don't have time."

But she let Amelia guide her down once more and tilted her head when plump lips landed on her left collarbone.

"You don't seem to mind," Amelia teased and her lips covered the silky skin in front of her once more.

"Sofia's gonna come back any moments," the blonde sat up to put some distance in between them, her hand resting on Amelia's sternum to insure that the brunette wouldn't sit up and try to persuade her. She knew the longer she'd let Amelia do her thing, the harder it would be to decline and since they really didn't have time, they would just end up frustrated.

Amelia seemed to get where she was coming from and stopped her teasing. "Fine," she grabbed the blonde's hand that was resting onto her ribcage and softly tugged on it to bring the blonde closer and met her in the middle for a peck.

Sofia barreled in the bedroom, all dressed up for the day but her hair still a mess, toothpaste smeared all over her mouth. "Dios mio, how much tiempo do you guys need to get ready?" she asked dramatically and climbed onto the bed.

"Let's go fix this bedhead situation of yours while mommy gets dressed. Wouldn't want mama to think we don't have hairbrushes here," Amelia teased and got up.

She couldn't help but gently swat Arizona's butt before following Sofia.


	28. ONLY

**CHAPTER 28 - ONLY**

Arizona was in deep slumber when she was abruptly woken up by her phone loudly ringing, filling up the silence of the bedroom and breaking down every ounce of the sanctuary the dark room and the faint lavender scented sheets cocoon she had snuggled in provided. Groggily and blindly, an arm ventured bravely out in the cold and patted around for the disturbing device. The blonde accepted the call without even looking at the name, not feeling ready to open her eyes yet, and her arm eagerly came back under the warm sheets as she placed the phone to her ear against her will. She knew whoever was calling her was going to wake her up with some medical jargon and probably be in a rush at the same time. She couldn't help but silently hope for a wrong number, but she knew she was just fooling herself. So she mentally prepared her brain to be assaulted with every word available in the medical book that Wilson could spew out at the speed of light.

"Robbins," her voice cracked with sleep so she cleared her throat.

"Arizona? It's Callie."

From this introduction only, Arizona could tell something was wrong. Calliope sounded in a rush and disturbed, her faintly hasty breaths coming out louder than usual through the speaker. Arizona became more alert. She frowned, still somewhat groggily, her eyes still closed and her mind foggy.

"Oh, hi Calliope. It's nighttime?"

"I know, I'm sorry but it's Sofia."

That woke Arizona up better than any alarm clock in the world ever would. The blonde quickly sat up, her protective warm nest long forgotten, seeming suddenly futile so she threw the covers away. The cold helped her wake up, shivers ran all over body at the unexpected move and she lighted up the bedside lamp, the harsh light forcing her eyes to open cruelly. She welcomed it anyway: it coerced her awake, compelled her every cell to come alive and her mind to focus on what was what. Sofia almost appeared like a secret code that triggered her reaction.

"I'm up! I'm up! What's wrong?"

"She's been throwing up non-stop for over an hour. Her belly is hurting very badly. I tried painkillers and antalgic positioning and honestly, neither of them helped a lot and she can't keep the medication down anyway. She also started running a light fever, her last temp was 102," Callie's words came out without a breath in between them, worry and anxiety dripping through her every sentence.

Arizona could almost picture her frantic state. The apprehension on her features, the same deep black eyes as her daughter's probably filled with unshed tears as she tried to not panic and her hand holding her phone shakily. Calliope Torres may be one of the best ortho surgeons in the whole goddamn US, but tonight, she was a simple scared mom.

The pediatric surgeon tried to rationalize, not letting her feelings get the best of her and imagining the worst. Trying to think with her brain and not her heart at the best of her abilities after being awake for only a whole two minutes.

"Did she eat anything unusual? It could be food poisoning," she winced at the hint of fear lacing her voice. She had tried her best to sound calm and reassuring as to not spur her ex-wife's own meltdown but she could tell she hadn't been as successful at erasing it as she would have liked.

"No, she ate peas and a steak at school and we had a veggie salad tonight. I palpated McBurney's point and it was very tender and painful for her. I'm more thinking along the line of appendicitis. Her pain is really bad Arizona, and you and I both know she's not one to complain easily. I'm taking her to the hospital right away."

"Yes, of course. Uh, Karev is on call. Let me call him and get dressed. I'll join you guys at the hospital. Kiss her for me?"

"Okay, we'll see you then."

"See you. Please be careful on the road okay? Now's not the time to violate the driver's manual and get pulled over."

* * *

When Amelia came home that night – almost morning really – she was more than surprised to see some light escaping from the doorway of their bedroom. She figured Arizona must have forgotten to turn it off or had probably fallen asleep with it on. She quickly discarded her shoes and coat as noiselessly as possible before entering their bedroom. Her breath was cut short when she caught the sight inside.

Arizona's body was lying on the floor, unconscious, a small pool of blood surrounding her head, thankfully not expending anymore but the amount already out was quite scary. Her crutches were littered in the room and she was still in her pajamas.

The brunette stood frozen in the doorway, too overwhelmed to do anything except freak out. Flashbacks of Ryan lying in their room were racing through her mind and she begged her body to move, to just _do_ something. She had already lost her fiancé, she couldn't lose her partner too. She wouldn't watch another one of her loved ones leave her in a body bag, she wouldn't be able to handle it.

Her legs transported her next Arizona's head, her knees falling painfully harsh onto the woodened floor and staining her pants with blood but she couldn't care less. Tears were blurring her vision but she chose to ignore them. Her fingers hurried to the blonde's jugular and a new wave of tears came out when she felt a strong pulse underneath her fingertips. Relief ran through her every cell and her heartbeat decreased, not quite normal just yet but still significantly less quick than a few seconds ago. Her lungs finally filled with air, breathing again and she almost choked at the big intake of oxygen.

She watched as Arizona's chest went up and down rhythmically and she leaned her ear close to the blonde's mouth, trying to hear any whizzing or irregularities. Once she was sure her respiratory system and venous system were okay, she rolled her girlfriend onto the usual recovery position and dialed 911, her eyes never leaving her girlfriend's body.

* * *

"Sheperd, I thought I told you to go home," Bailey said, surprised to see Amelia Sheperd pacing into the emergency room, still into scrubs and her eyes reddened.

"Oh, hi Miranda. I'm-uh, I'm here with Arizona," she said nervously, willing her hands to stop shaking with anxiousness.

Bailey gave her a curious look, "Your girlfriend's off tonight, Sheperd. You of all people should know that."

"No, she's here. Bed ten, we just arrived. She fell down and hit her head onto the bedside table."

Bailey looked over, her heart beating incredibly fast in fear and sure enough she saw her colleague into the said bed. "Is she alright?" she asked, concerned.

Her question made the neurosurgeon watery eyes start to tear up again and the brunette whipped her cheeks with the back of her hands, trying to get a hold of herself and she cleared her throat, forcing the lump down.

"I-I, Probably. She was unconscious for at least twenty minutes but she came to a few minutes ago. Her neuro exam is completely normal and showed nothing to be afraid for now. I'm still concerned though so I'm waiting for Derek to close up his surgery so we can take her for a head CT. I want to be sure it's nothing before stitching her up."

"No other injuries?"

"Just a few bruises here and there but nothing else."

"Of course," Miranda said with a small smile and squeezed her forearm reassuringly. "Keep me updated Sheperd, okay?"

Miranda walked away and Amelia immediately felt a hand onto her shoulder, getting her attention. She turned around and found Callie, obviously disheveled and a little out of breath.

"Have you seen Arizona? She should be here by now."

"Yeah, I came in with her," Amelia frowned, did news really travel that fast into the hospital?

Callie let out a big breath of relief and a smile appeared on her lips. "Good, I was getting worried. Sofia keeps asking for her and you."

"What do you mean Sofia keeps asking for her and me?" Amelia frowned, confused and suddenly getting a little worried.

"Sofia's sick? Appendicitis?"

The neurosurgeon looked taken a back and her heart, which she had just calmed down, started racing again with dread. Honestly, it was a miracle that she hadn't fainted yet.

"She has appendicitis? Is she okay? Where is she?" she asked frantically.

"Arizona didn't tell you?" the ortho surgeon frowned deepened.

Amelia let out a sigh and distractively moved a lost lock of hair behind her ear before pointing to the bed her girlfriend was currently occupying. "No she didn't. She just woke up and she's still pretty much out of it."

"Oh my God! What happened?"

Amelia quickly repeated what she had just told Dr. Bailey and then asked about Sofia. Callie could see how anxious and worried the neurosurgeon was feeling over her daughter. The hazy in her eyes, the shaky hands she was trying so badly to control, the tensed shoulders... The Latina was suddenly hit by how important Sofia had become to the other woman. Amelia's demeanor mirrored her own, a scared mom in dear need of reassurance that her child, the thing that mattered the most in her eyes, was alright.

Callie suddenly understood that Amelia had become Sofia's mom too.

The orthopedic surgeon had agreed to stay with her ex-wife until Derek's arrival while Amelia went to see Sofia and announce her that she wouldn't be able to see her mom before surgery. They had both agreed to not tell Sofia that Arizona had had an accident unless Sofia was asking clearly why Arizona couldn't be by her side. The last time her mommy had had an accident, she had almost died and had eventually lost her leg and her daddy had died, and the time before that, her mommies had been in a car accident and Callie had almost died. Sofia didn't need the unnecessary added stress.

Amelia glanced into the room and felt like she was about to cry all over again. Wilson was sitting onto the bed next to Sofia and they were talking animatedly. Amelia had seen plenty of kids into hospitals beds before, she had even operated them but seeing her child, her own daughter into one, felt like taking a punch to the guts. Amelia couldn't even fathom how hard Sofia's complicated birth must have felt for Arizona and Callie at the time. Sofia looked suddenly very small into the baby blue bed sheets, and even though she was giggling, it did very little to appease Amelia's worry.

She let out a big breath and shook her apprehension off. Seeing her stressed would do nothing good for Sofia so the neurosurgeon forced herself to appear as cool as usual before entering the room.

"Hello there baby girl," Amelia greeted as assuredly as she could and smiled warmly at her.

"Look who's here, Sof!" Jo got up and she stopped on her way out next to Amelia. "She's a little out of it, Karev already gave her some morphine for the pain," Wilson whispered so only they could hear. "She should be going in the OR in five minutes or so."

"Thanks Wilson," Amelia sat onto the bed and she had to resist the urge to hug her daughter tight because she feared she would never be able to let her go otherwise.

"'Meeeeelia!" she grinned and Amelia could tell she was high as a kite from the pain medication.

"Hey Sof! Mama just told me you were sick. I came as soon as I could."

"Si! My appendix exploded! Like pooof," she mimed a big explosion with her hands. "It hurted a lot but Dr. Alex gave me somethin' and I feel really _really_ fine ahora."

The neurosurgeon chuckled at the grammatical error and softly took her little hands into hers, rubbing the back tenderly.

"When is Mommy comin'?"

"Mommy can't come right now, I'm so so sorry baby," she squeezed her hands, "But she's giving you thousands of kisses, okay?"

Sofia's eyebrows furrowed but she didn't seem upset at the news. "Will she come once Dr. Alex fixes me?"

"Of course she will, sweetheart," she dropped a kiss onto her forehead and smiled reassuringly at her.

"Mama and you will be there too, right?"

"Of course. We wouldn't miss it for the world. You k-"

"It's time, Sheperd," a male voice announced.

Amelia turned around and her eyes landed onto Alex and Jo standing in the doorway.

* * *

Arizona moved for hundredth time onto the cold uncomfortable table and huffed loudly as she got up onto her elbows, looking at the reflective window she knew Amelia and Derek were hiding behind. "For the last time 'Melia, I feel totally fine! No dizziness, no dyspraxia, no visual impairment. I don't need this CT scan!"

"Arizona," Amelia's voice came through the microphone. "It's just a precaution."

"I know, but it's just going to be a waste a time! I need to be with my daughter and-"

"Sofia's okay, Robbins. She's in the OR right now between the very capable hands of Dr Karev, who _you_ trained and Torres is probably watching his every moves for the three of you. Now, would you just lie back down so we can entertain my sister with perfect scans?"

"Fine," she huffed again, annoyed, but lay back down nonetheless.

"Thank you."

"I can't believe you asked Derek to come," the blonde complained loudly.

"You're my partner, Zona. I'm not taking any chances. Now hush, you've got two of the best neurosurgeons looking at your brain, so stop complaining and stay still."

"Yes ma'am."

Only when perfect scans appeared onto the computer was Amelia able to eventually relax. Her daughter and her partner were both safe and sound.

* * *

"This hair do is not really your style. I'm sorry," Amelia said with a small grimace after having shaved some of her girlfriend's honey blonde hair so she could access the wound better.

"At least, it's hide-able. I wouldn't want to scare Sofia or the other tiny humans."

"No way ever," the neurosurgeon said reassuringly. "You're far too angelic and warm and charming for that. No hairdo could stand in the way," she kissed her. "Okay, it's a clean cut. Four or five stitches should be enough. Do you want a local painkiller?"

"Please."

The brunette grabbed the numbing medication and sprayed some onto the wound. After having stitched her up and dressed her injury, Amelia sat next to the other woman onto the hospital bed.

"I'd like to keep you overnight for observation. Just in case," the brunette said.

"I told you I'm fine!" Arizona said, obviously annoyed and rolled her eyes.

Honestly, she had trouble being a patient since the whole leg accident and even though Amelia had assured her Sofia was fine, she still needed to see her daughter with her own two eyes, just to be sure.

"For now. You did hit your head pretty hard," she gave a hand a gentle squeeze.

"And I don't even have a concussion. I'm more than capable of making my own decision with a clear mind Amelia," Arizona protested.

"Look, baby. What are you going to do once you're released anyway? Sofia's still in surgery, we both know we're staying here. Wouldn't you rather wait in a hospital bed than in the uncomfortable couch in her room?"

Arizona sighed but her girlfriend had a point here. Moreover, she could see something else into Amelia's deep blue eyes. She could tell she was holding something back but Arizona didn't press, knowing the brunette would tell her when she would be ready.

"Fine," she agreed. "Will you at least bring me my overnight bag please? It's in my office. There are some clean clothes in there and a toothbrush. I want out of this hospital gown, people can see my butt."

"I like seeing your butt," Amelia said teasingly with a smirk.

The pediatric surgeon chuckled, for the time since she had arrived at the hospital and Amelia felt proud of herself.

"You know, I wouldn't see object if you wanted to go see what Karev's doing."

"You wouldn't?" Arizona asked, her tone hopeful.

"As long as we're sitting in the gallery and that we're not standing in the OR, I don't see why not."

The blonde's hand delicately cupped her cheeks and she leaned in, placing a tender kiss onto her lips.

"Thank you, Amelia."

"Don't move, I'll go get your bag."

The blonde changed clothes quickly and transferred her body in the borrowed wheelchair Amelia had brought her. In her haste to the hospital, the neurosurgeon had forgotten to bring her prosthetic which honestly, Arizona couldn't hold against her. Her leg really hadn't been a priority. It must have been pretty scary to find her lying unconscious on the floor into a pool of her own blood like- Oh.

Ryan.

Suddenly, Amelia's overly protective and worried attitude made a lot more sense. How could she have been so stupid and not think about this earlier? She felt like a complete moron for acting so inconsiderate. She stopped wheeling before she could even get out of the room and grabbed Amelia's hand.

"Baby?"

The neurosurgeon turned around and frowned when she saw Arizona had stopped.

"Are you feeling tired? I don't mind pushing you if you want me to."

"I- no. It's not that," Arizona reassured her and then said apologetically, "I'm sorry I was being insensitive earlier. You wanted to make sure I was alright and I wouldn't let you."

"It's alright. I know you were scared about Sof', I get it."

"No. I mean, yeah I was worried sick but that doesn't make it alright to take it out on you. I," her eyes left Amelia's to focus onto their clasp hands, no sure she could handle to see the look onto the other woman's face as she talked, "I didn't think how scary it must have been for you and how it might remind you of Ryan. I should have, I'm sorry."

Feeling her girlfriend's openness and sincerity, Amelia sat down onto her thighs, straddling her, and placed a finger under her chin, making her look up. Amelia's heart was going a little crazy inside her chest for the umpteenth time tonight and a huge wave of thankfulness and love ran through her. She gently cupped her lover's face, her thumbs lovingly stroking Arizona's cheeks back and forth as her eyes bored into hers. She felt the blonde's hands land onto her hips, her hold firm yet gentle.

"It's okay, baby. We're both damaged good and as much as we want and we try to be thoughtful about each other, there comes a point when it's not manageable anymore. You're right, finding you like this brought up bad memories of Ryan but I can't expect of you to think about that or my feelings when our daughter's safety is on the other end of the line. But still, thank you for apologizing and understanding. I'm just grateful you're both okay. You and Sof are the most precious things in my world," she leaned in to kiss her affectionately.

As she pulled away, the pediatric surgeon's arms snaked around her midsection and she pulled the brunette into a protective embrace. Amelia buried her face in her neck and wrapped her own arms around the blonde' shoulders. She felt hands soothingly running up and down her back and she dropped a few kiss into the crook of her neck, hoping to bring her girlfriend some comfort.

"I love you so much," Arizona whispered to her.

"I love you too, Zona."

Once they had both calmed down, they finally pulled away. Amelia dropped one last kiss onto Arizona's lips and got up.

"Come on, let's go see our munchkin," she said with a beaming smile.

When they arrived in the gallery, they weren't surprised to find Callie already sitting there, a coffee in her hands.

"I was wondering when you guys were going to show up," she smiled sleepily and took a sip out of her beverage.

Once the surgery was done, Callie decided to stay into Sofia's room, allowing Amelia to watch over Arizona for the night without worrying too much about the little girl.

Of course, Arizona's night turned out to be restless. Not only because of the pain, but also because she was a patient. Being a patient plus knowing her daughter was hurt dug up a lot of bad memories and experiences from her past and she woke up quite a few times, on the verge of tears and her anxiety level high, a nauseous feeling uncomfortably settled in the pit of her stomach.

Meanwhile Amelia didn't get any sleep at all. Primarily because she wanted to ensure Arizona's and Sofia's well-being, physically and emotionally, but also because she was kind of scared of having a bad dream about Ryan and Christopher. Tonight really wasn't the night for it. So instead, she focused on securely holding the blonde in her arms, softly caressing her belly and lulling her back to sleep every time she woke up.

Eventually, the pediatric surgeon seemed to have fallen asleep for good after her fifth time waking up frantically and the neurosurgeon was happy to lie next to her, watching her sleep peacefully at last. She spotted her brother before he even entered the room, looking as fresh as ever even though she knew he had had a short night of sleep.

"G'morning Amy," he dropped a kiss onto her forehead. "How are Robbins and Sofia doing?"

"Fine. Arizona struggled a little to fall asleep but she isn't in pain. Sofia still hasn't woken up."

"And what about you?" he asked carefully, tiptoeing between brotherly protectiveness and meddling.

"As long as they're both alright, I'm doing perfect," she gave him a tired smile.

He could tell that his little sister had not slept, or nothing more than a quick power nap at least. She had dark circles under her eyes, her eyes were still a tad puffy from yesterday's crying, and she looked exhausted.

"I can stay with Robbins for a while if you want. I wouldn't mind. You know, so you can go check on Sofia and freshen up a little. Put a little water on your face, maybe grab a cup of coffee."

"Do I truly look this horrible?"

"Not horrible per se, but one can definitely tell you're a little tired," he tried to softly sugarcoat it and gave her an encouraging grin.

Amelia sighed, conflicted. On one hand, she really wanted to see Sofia but on the other, she didn't want Arizona to wake up alone, without her by her side. The neurosurgeon concluded that seeing her like this first thing in the morning, completely worn out, still wearing her scrubs from yesterday and with messy bed hair would probably frighten the blonde.

"You sure you wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not," he took a sit onto the hospital chair and opened one of the two patients' file he was holding. "I have some paperwork to catch on. You go and take your time."

She got up slowly, careful to not wake her lover. It had taken her so much time to fall asleep that waking her up by mistake would feel like a tragedy. Once up, the brunette stretched her limbs before kissing the pediatric surgeon's forehead and glancing at her dressing.

"You call me if anything happens, okay?"

"You've got it, Amy."

When she finally took a look at her reflection in the mirror, she understood why her brother had suggested she should freshen up. She looked like a ghost. She rapidly put some make up on, trying to hide as best as she could the bags under her eyes and once she was positive that she wouldn't scare neither Sofia nor Arizona, she headed to the cafeteria.

"Good morning Torres. I bought you some breakfast and coffee. Figured you would probably need it. I took something light for Sofia," she said quietly as she walked into her daughter's hospital room.

If Callie's appearance was anything to go by, the Latina woman probably had as much sleep as her. She was half sitting onto the chair and half leaning onto the bed, her hands clasping one of her daughter's.

"Hello Sheperd," she sat up and gratefully took the coffee the brunette was handing her. "Thank you, I need that."

"You're welcome. How is she?" she asked, her eyes transfixed onto Sofia's serene face.

"She turned a couple of times onto her wrong side and whimpered a little, even with the pain medication. Otherwise she's doing perfect. Her temp is back to normal and she has a blood work schedule for this morning."

The neurosurgeon let out a little breath of relief, happy that everything was turning out alright for once in her life. "I'm really glad."

"How is Arizona doing?"

"She's still sleeping, she-uh had some trouble falling asleep last night," the look onto Callie's features told her she was all too familiar with the reasons why, not needing Amelia to tell it out loud, "and her head is throbbing. But overall, she's fine. Well, I'm going back with Arizona, but call us as soon as the little munchkin wakes up, okay?" she smiled and tenderly planted a kiss onto Sofia's forehead.

Just as the neurosurgeon was about to walk out, the Latina's voice stopped her.

"I saw it. Last night."

"What do you mean?" she turned around and looked at the other woman inquisitively, her eyebrows furrowing.

"You and Sofia. Your… bond. Don't get me wrong, I know that you love Sofia and that she loves you back but I hadn't realized just how much. How important you had become into her life and she, in yours. But last night, I saw how anxious you were towards her, how much you genuinely cared. And it hit me that you were acting exactly like Arizona and me. She may not call you mommy or mama just yet, but that's definitely who you are to her."

Amelia could feel her eyes getting watery at the admission and blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill over. She resisted her sudden desire to tackle-hug Callie in thankfulness and she contained her ecstatic state, restraining herself from squealing. However, she couldn't stop the huge grin that appeared and ate half of her face. It felt incredibly overwhelming to hear those words coming out from Arizona's ex-wife.

"I'd do anything for that kid, you know that, right?"

"I do, now," Callie smiled, her bright dark eyes shining with honesty. "For what it's worth, I think you're an amazing step mom and I'm glad Sofia has you in her life."

"I- Thank you Callie. That means a lot to me," this time, she gently pulled the ortho surgeon into an amicable hug.

"You're welcome."

* * *

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Amelia whispered with a small smile to Arizona as soon as she saw her vibrant blue eyes fluttering open shyly.

The blonde looked around, a little disoriented but memories of last night quickly came back to her mind. She was suffering from the worst headache possible but she knew it was to be expected for the next few days. Her hands rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and she sat up. Her girlfriend was sitting onto the visitor chair, obviously drained but trying to hide it, her hand mindlessly rubbing one of her thigh with her thumb over the sheets.

"Like I slipped, banged my head onto a bedside table and then got it stitched up," Arizona replied with a grimace, her voice groggy.

The brunette could tell she was still in pain so she handed the blonde her medication and a warm cup of coffee.

"Painkiller."

The blonde gratefully gulped it down eagerly and took a sip of the hot beverage. "Thank you, baby," she leaned in and Amelia met her halfway for a good morning kiss.

"You're welcome. I went by Sofia's room this morning. She's still asleep. Her constants are fine, temp's normal and she has some blood work schedule for this morning. Callie will ring us when she wakes up."

Arizona heaved a sigh of relief and she smiled thankfully at the other woman. "Thanks for the update."

"I figured you would need it at least as bad as me," she said lightheartedly, and was happy to see Arizona's lips contort into her usual cheerful smile, the very one that never failed to brighten her day. She wished it would never leave. "I bought you a little something from the gift shop."

Arizona raised an eyebrow, not really knowing what to expect but still happily surprised. "You did?"

"Yes," Amelia replied, a glint of mischief floating in her eyes. "Close your eyes, please."

The pediatric surgeon did what she was told and she felt something soft and light delicately landing on her thighs.

"You can open them now."

Her eyes fell onto a medium sized sitting teddy bear, holding a red heart between its front paws. She was all too familiar with it, having seen plenty of parents offer it to their sick tiny human. Her heart fluttered gleefully into her chest and her smile expended from one ear to another before she could even try to stop it. She grabbed it, feeling its softness under her fingertips as she took it closer to her face to get a better look at the writing on the heart.

"Get well soon Dakota. Dakota?" Arizona giggled and looked up at her partner, confused but definitely entertained now.

"They don't sell any Arizona ones," Amelia explained with a cringe. "So I thought, state name? You know what? Now that I say it at loud, it sounds even more stupid."

Arizona's laugh filled the hospital room and, while the brunette would usually be offended that the pediatric surgeon was mocking her, she couldn't feel prouder of herself for making her laugh after the disaster that had been yesterday.

"You, huge dork," her hand snaked behind Amelia's neck and she pulled her closer in order to kiss her sweetly. "I love it. I love _you _'Melia."

"I love you too, Arizona."

"Don't you mean Dakota?" she teased with a beaming smile.


	29. PASSENGER

**CHAPTER 29 - PASSENGER**

After a particularly rough shift, Amelia and Owen had decided to go out for drinks at Joe's. Nothing like a beer or an orange juice to chase the harsh day away. Amelia was in the middle of an anecdote when she noticed her friend's eyes straying behind her again, towards the opposite end of the bar. Owen had being doing that on and off since they had first sat down, and the neurosurgeon would pretend to not notice when he would not so subtly zone out to check out whoever had caught his eye. But after the fifteenth time or so, she decided to turn around to see who had caught the man's interest.

She spotted a group of friends, loudly chatting at a table full of fruity cocktails. It wasn't hard to spot the woman making Owen all hot and bothered since she was staring back at him with the exact same look he was giving her. However, when she spotted Amelia looking at her, she quickly drew her attention back to her friends and she blushed, as if caught red handed. The neurosurgeon smirked to herself and turned back to face the trauma surgeon, who was still in trance, his hand holding his chin and his elbow leaning on top of the table for support.

She pushed his elbow out of the table, sending it straight into empty space and the brusque movement brought him back to reality.

"Hey!" he yelped, surprised. "What was that for?"

"Go ask her out," Amelia encouraged and tilted her head toward the unknown blonde.

"You think I should?" he squinted his eyes as uncertainty took over his features. "I probably shouldn't."

"Then stop glancing at her with heart eyes," she stated.

"I'm not-" he stopped dead when Amelia gave him a knowing look, as if to say do-not-even-try-to-lie-to-me. "Fine, I think she looks great."

"Yes, she does," Amelia agreed, she had to admit the woman was attractive. "She's nice too. Lent me a tampon when I was in the restroom."

Owen made a face. "Too much information, Amelia."

"What? I just told you she was nice, and since she keeps glancing over here with heart eyes too, you should go over there."

"It's just- she keeps glancing but making a weird face?" he asked, obviously clueless.

"She's probably wondering why you keep glancing at her when you're on a date with me," Amelia stated simply.

"We're not on a date?" Owen looked even more confused than before.

"I know that," Amelia shrugged nonchalantly. "She doesn't."

"Oh, right. Wait-what if she's looking at you? What if she's gay? Can you tell if she is?"

"Honey, I don't need no gaydar to tell you she's looking at you and not at me. So go get it tiger! I already have my own woman waiting for me at home," she finished her drink in one big gulp and kissed his cheek before heading out.

* * *

Amelia had been repeating herself for the last five minutes and the look her patient was giving her told her her mind was still totally elsewhere, not absorbing a single word the neurosurgeon was telling her about her upcoming spinal surgery. Her eyes weirdly kept wandering onto Amelia's neck every few often and for a few fearful moments, Amelia wondered if Arizona had left a hickey there that she had forgotten to cover up. Eventually, she remembered this morning and one of her hand flew to her neck, her cheeks blushing slightly.

"Oh right. Sorry about that. Sofia got one of those transfer tattoos thingy into her cereal box this morning and she was adamant on giving it to me."

"Is she your daughter?" Mrs. Wule, her patient, asked with kind eyes.

"Yes," she answered before she could even think about it and Amelia felt her heart swell up with pride.

"Kids, right? Can't say no to their adorable faces."

"Can't, indeed."

"I have two little boys, Andy and Jordan. They're 4 and 6. How many do you have Dr Sheperd?"

"Just the one and only for now," she pointed confidently towards the nurses' station where Edwards was sitting with Sofia impatiently bouncing on her knees. "She's right there in fact."

Sofia waved at her with a wide smile when she saw Amelia pointing at her. Sitting with Stefanie and staring at patients' brains onto the computer screen had soon become boring and she couldn't wait for the neurosurgeon to finish up so they could go eat chocolate Jell-O at the cafeteria.

"Oh, she's so cute! You and Dr Sheperd must have a hard times resisting her huge doe eyes."

"Dr Sheperd?" the brunette asked with her brows furrowed, confused.

"The other neurosurgeon that works here? Isn't he your husband?" Mrs. Wule frowned.

Amelia almost choked as she breathed in and she shuddered. "Oh God, no! Derek's my brother!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she hurried apologetically and chuckled lightheartedly, "You both have the same last name and since you both work here, I simply assumed. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I guess I can understand your confusion," Amelia did but it still made her wish she had the neuralyzer from men in black so she could wipe this atrocious image out of her brain. "So, ready for me to explain the procedure this time?" she asked before she had to think about it some more and risking to become nauseous.

"Please, let's."

* * *

"Hello sunshine."

"Hey you. Haven't seen you all day, I was starting to think you were avoiding me. Didn't even get my good morning kiss," Arizona teased with a beaming smile as she saw her partner walk into the scan room she was currently occupying.

"I better rectify that ASAP then," the neurosurgeon smirked and softly tugged onto the other woman's lab coat until she could snake her arms around her midsection.

Acting almost out of reflex, Arizona's arms landed on her shoulders as Amelia's mouth found cherished soft lips and pulled her into a tender kiss.

"Good morning," Amelia said goofily as she pulled away.

The pediatric giggled since it was now early evening, "Good morning indeed."

"I don't think I ever told you but I like your lab coat."

"Uh, thanks," Arizona frowned, suspicious of the small glint of mischief shining in the deep blue eyes in front of her announcing her some bullshit was about to come.

"No, I do. It's really helpful. Now I finally know which one is the monkey boobie and which one is the kitty boobie. You wouldn't believe how many times I accidently confused the two, it's unbelievable," Amelia said, ever so seriously.

There it was. Arizona snorted and rolled her eyes, but the neurosurgeon could tell she was more amused than really annoyed.

"You're a dork."

"So you tell me all the time, yet here you are again. Laughing," the brunette said smugly with a toothy smile and her hands strolled down onto her partner's butt, resting on it.

"Unfortunately, I must have gotten used to it over time," the cheerfulness on her features contrasted with her deadpanned statement.

"I told my patient I had a kid," Amelia announced proudly.

It wasn't news that she considered Sofia hers. There wasn't an ounce of doubt in her mind that this ingenious and bright ball of energy was her daughter too. However, it had been the first time she had called Sofia her daughter in front of a total stranger. Derek, Callie, Owen… it had never felt like a big deal to refer to the Latina as hers in front of them because they were family. They had witnessed her relationship with Arizona grow day after day so when eventually she had stopped to call Sofia Arizona's and Callie's daughter to instead call her ours, nobody had really blinked an eye at it. However, referring to Sofia as her daughter to a complete stranger? That had been a first. And god, had it felt good.

"You did?" Arizona asked, surprisingly pleased.

"I did," she nodded firmly. "My patient asked if I had any children and I said yes. I thought about my unicorn baby for a few moments. Even though he passed away, I was still his mom for a whole forty three minutes, you know? And then I thought of Sofia. I know I'm more of the cool step-mom for now but it feels like I'm her mom too, in a way? I bath her, I chase the four-headed dragon that lives under her bed, I punish her when she's being stubborn, I take her to her dance lessons, I worry when she jumps from the monkey bars and-and I get mad when she's refusing to eat her damn vegetables. So, when she asked if I had a kid, I- okay, to be honest, I first had a brain-fart cause I didn't know what to answer. But then, I realized, I feel like her mom, you know? And-" her ramble was interrupted by a soft pair of lips.

"Gosh Amelia. You can't just drop this on me like this!"

"I'm sor-"

"Don't you dare say you're sorry," Arizona said warningly.

She frowned, confused. "But you just said I shou-"

"It's like, when I think I can't fall anymore in love with you, you make it a challenge to prove me wrong," Arizona said, half-annoyed, half-lovingly and Amelia relaxed in her arms. "And it's annoying because every time, I feel like a fool. It's like I'm getting schooled by my own feelings. Who can even do that? And then I look at you, and I'm wondering what an idiot like me did to even spark an interest in you."

"I think you have the situation wrong, baby. You're the one who's way out of my league," the neurosurgeon said tenderly and kissed her. "But, let's face it, Mother Nature gifted you two very persuasive attributes," Amelia said mischievously as she squeezed her butt.

"Annnnnnnd here you go back to being a huge dork," Arizona giggled. "Is there a single reason for you to shatter every romantic moment with your dorkiness? Is it a personal challenge of yours too?"

Amelia shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe I needed you to stop so I could tell you that I fall a little more in love with you every day too. I'm in so deep that I should probably find some petrol soon. You know what I caught myself doing the other day? I was doing post-op on this baby in the NICU and when I turned around, I saw you at the nurses' station. You were talking to Wilson about God knows what. But you were smiling and then you laughed and damn, butterflies in my stomach would be an understatement to describe what I felt. And I just stood there like a stalker and all I could think of was, "See her? That's my future wife out there.""

"Your future wife?" Arizona's voice cracked and her eyes filled with unshed tears, threatening to spill over whatever Amelia replied.

"Yeah," the brunette said like it as the most obvious thing in the world, a huge smile eating most of her face. "I know we haven't exactly talked about it yet, but one day, if you want to and when the time is right, then yes. I have to wife you up before someone else does," she affirmed confidently.

"You do realize I have already been married right?" Arizona teased, a few tears rolling down her cheeks in happiness.

"Sssshhh, you're ruining the moment, sweetheart," Amelia replied and kissed the tears away before planting a searing kiss onto her partner's lips.

"The day you eventually do propose, I'd be a goddamn fool to say no," Arizona kissed her again, hard. "You're her mom too. Sofia may not call you mommy or mama, but you're as much her mom as Callie or me. You read her her story every night, even though it's the same book for two weeks now. You worry about her when she as much as scrapes her hands on the playground, you look so god damn proud when she finally achieve something she worked hard for, you let her play doctor with your stethoscope. You're every bit the mom Callie and I are to Sofia."

It was the neurosurgeon's turn to have her eyes filled with tears and she silently willed herself to get a hold of herself before they could spill over.

"Look at you, making me be in touch with my emotions," she tried to tease but her voice came out too shaky to properly pull it off. "Are you out of your mind? Pull this trick again and you'll only get snot and tears out of me."

"You are impossible," the pediatric chuckled.

"I know, but you love me anyway," Amelia taunted her, her joyfulness finally back in check.

Arizona gave her a sweet smile, leaning in close to her girlfriend but not quite close enough to kiss her. "That I do," she whispered and tenderly placed her lips against plump ones.

"Amy, stop making out with the pediatric surgeon. This is a hospital, people are trying to work here," Derek interrupted as he leaned against the doorframe of the scan room with his arms crossed.

"Go away Derek, we're having a moment here," the brunette willed petulantly with a whine as she pulled away, not opening her eyes to face reality.

"I'm sorry, but I need to borrow Robbins for a consult and you have patients."

"Finder keepers, losers weepers, bro," she looked at him, frustrated. "I was here first, you can come back in five minutes."

"How old are you again?" Derek rolled his eyes.

Amelia groaned unhappily and Arizona chuckled at their childish behaviors. It reminded her a lot of the bantering Tim and her used to have when they were young and she wondered if they would still be like this if Tim hadn't died. She'd like to think so.

"Dinner together?" Arizona asked, trying to accommodate both neurosurgeons.

"You betcha," Amelia sneaked one last kiss, which of course she tried to turn into something more but Derek intentionally cleared his throat before she could.

"I need that consult today, sis."

"Fiiiiiiine," she conceded and sent her brother a death glare. "God, you're such a clam jam."

"You know, I find it pretty ironic that you're in a lesbian relationship yet, you act like a dick most of the time," he informed her.

The pediatric surgeon her to purse her lips together in order to not laugh out loud and she tried her best to control her inner amusement. She completely pulled away from her lover's embrace and gave her an encouraging smile. "I'll see you later, honey."

* * *

Arizona and Callie were talking about a patient when a loud and joyful "Mommies!" yelled from far away came to their ears right along the sound of running little feet. Both women stopped their conversation at the exclamation and smiled when they spotted a wild Sofia coming towards them with open arms, Amelia not far behind. Callie bent over and caught her daughter, doing a spin for fun before settling her onto her hip.

"Hola bebe," the Latina greeted her and kissed her cheek while the blonde kissed the other.

"Hola mama, hola mommy," Sofia replied with a big smile and pushed her tousled hair out of her face.

The neurosurgeon eventually walked up to them and kissed her girlfriend good morning and said hi to Callie.

"Don't you look cheerful this morning," Callie said to her daughter.

"Owen and Amelia had a sleepover and he had breakfast with us!"

"He did?" Arizona said with a big smile.

"Si!"

Arizona raised an eyebrow at Amelia, concerned that Owen had slept over. Again. It was becoming the norm these days unfortunately. She loved the trauma surgeon dearly but between him and Sofia, she felt like the only time she could have Amelia to herself for more than five minutes was over lunch.

"Later," Amelia whispered back to her girlfriend.

"His beard makes his besos scratchy," Sofia said and gently tickled her mama's face with her fingers to imitate the feeling. "It's funny!"

Callie playfully grabbed her fingers and pretended to eat them. With a yelp at the surprise attack, Sofia wiggled her way out of the embrace. Both feet safely on the ground, she took Amelia's hand in hers and waved goodbye at the adults.

"Good day mommies."

"I'll come and see you at daycare once I catch a break, de acuerdo?"

"Yep! Bye," she sent them one last big smile before heading to daycare with the neurosurgeon in tow.

When Amelia came into Arizona's office later that day, the blonde was sitting at her desk, reviewing Wilson's notes on their more recent cases with an attentive look on her face. The brunette knocked on the wooden door to grab her attention. Blue eyes floated away from the files littering her desk and they fell onto her girlfriend's figure standing in her doorway, with what she assumed to be coffee in her hands if the inviting smell was any indicator.

"Have any time for your girlfriend?" Amelia asked with a smirk.

"Depends. Is one of these for me?" she teased back with a raised eyebrow and pointed to the beverages.

Amelia handed her one and sat on the edge of the desk, totally disregarding the sheets. "And one cup of sugar with a side of coffee, one!" she joked and then grabbed the nearest patient file, reading the intern's notes with attention.

"Thanks," the blonde took a sip out of the drink, thankful for a break away from administrative duties.

She leaned all the way back into her chair and she felt a few vertebrae popped here and there, letting out the tension that had accumulated from being all hunched up over the patients' files for over an hour now. Every few seconds or so, Amelia's brows would furrow unconsciously, or her lips would twitch over a word, or her eyes would brighten in agreement over whatever she was reading.

"Damn, remind me to borrow Wilson every once in a while, she's really thorough. Don't get me wrong, Edwards's very meticulous too but her writing looks like hieroglyphs, it takes me forever to read her."

"Uh-uh, you're not stealing Wilson away. I trained her to be that good, I get to keep her," she kidded.

The neurosurgeon raised an eyebrow at the other woman. "Protective much, I see?"

Arizona swiveled lightly back and forth in her chair. "I invested a lot of work in this one. You can't borrow her just because you like her writing. Maybe we can arrange for her to give Edwards a few calligraphy sessions though," both women chuckled.

Eventually, after a few minutes of peaceful silence, Arizona gathered up the courage to ask what had been bothering her almost all morning. She looked up at the brunette's face.

"Are you sure Owen doesn't like you anymore?" she mumbled out.

Amelia's eyes left the sheet she had been focusing on and looked up at the pediatric surgeon, visibly confused. She dropped the patient file back onto the desk.

"As in, is he really over you? Because I trust you, and I want to trust him too, but it-it's hard when I know he used to have feelings for you and he's… he's passing more time in our bed than his own nowadays," she sighed because she hated how jealous she sounded when jealousy really wasn't what she was feeling. She decided to start again and tried to explain herself better, "Not that I'm complaining, you guys need each other. I know your friendship is key to his mental health and I just-I worry. Because if he still likes you and-and being close to you like that, it's not- feelings could- it could jeopardize his recovery and end up doing more harm than good."

"Are you done freaking out?" Amelia asked in an almost-bored tone.

"I-uh, yes?" the pediatric surgeon replied sheepishly, no really sure what Amelia's reaction was going to be since her face was blank of any emotions except annoyance.

The neurosurgeon hooked one foot under the blonde's swivel chair and rolled her up until she had her in between her knees. She gently cupped both cheeks in hands, her thumbs caressing her dimples as she settled her eyes into Arizona's anxious ones. She pulled her closer until she could place a delicate kiss on her lips, only letting her go when air became an issue.

"Babe, Owen doesn't like me anymore. Not like he used to anyway. You have nothing to worry about, okay?"

Truthful and honest eyes staring at her, Arizona felt a familiar fuzzy feeling invading her belly. She turned her head to kiss Amelia's palm. "Okay," she said in a calm tone.

"In fact, he has a girlfriend now," Amelia prompted.

"He does?" Arizona's brows furrowed and her hands wandered onto her girlfriend's muscular thighs in front of her to finish their jog around her waist. She rested her head onto Amelia's legs and she immediately felt fingers run through her hair.

"Yeah, that's the second reason why I'm swinging by, number one being seeing your pretty face. He wants us to meet her, we're having dinner with them overmorrow night. Owen's."

"Wait, how did I not know about this? How long has this been going on?" She just heard of this woman today and they were already having dinner with her? Talk about fast.

"They met a little under a month ago. Her name's Jennifer. She's nice, and definitely pretty. They've been going out a lot, but you know Owen. Didn't want to tell anyone until he was positive it was something serious."

"You met her already?"

"They met at Joe's. I just happened to be there," Amelia shrugged nonchalantly and she focused her fingers onto the blonde's tensed neck

They spent a few moment in silence, the pediatric surgeon unwinding under Amelia's sweet caresses while the brunette admired her girlfriend's features soften and grow more relax.

"It's almost Megan's anniversary," Amelia confessed gravely and seriously. "That's why he's over so much."

The blonde perked up at the admission and sighed in regret. "Great, now I feel like a moron," she felt guilty for being so bitchy about it. She knew firsthand how hard anniversaries could be.

"It's okay, I get it. I've been spending a lot of time with him lately and not so much with you, I'm sorry. I'm trying to balance everything but to be honest, it's," she paused.

Arizona could tell Amelia was nervous. Fingers were now fidgeting, dark eyes were looking down, she was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth… Nothing about her girlfriend's body exuded the confident attitude it often did. She gently grabbed the wiggling fingers and laced them with hers so the brunette would stop. She squeezed them in what she hoped was a reassuring manner and gave the neurosurgeon a moment to put words on what she was feeling right now.

"It's-umh, hard. I-uh, I haven't been to AA's in over a week," her eyes finally strayed away from their joined hands to sink into bright blue loving ones. "And Derek's been kind of bitchy all week since he lost his patient on Monday and he needs someone to take his anger out on, I just wish it wasn't me. Owen's been taking a lot a time, which he needs and I'm happy to help him and all. But I-I feel like I'm neglecting you and Sof. I just… I want a nice evening indoors with my girlfriend and my daughter. Some junk food, a crappy movie I can fall asleep in front of, perhaps some cuddles."

"I have good news for you then," Arizona smiled cheekily at her and sat back up. "We can go to AA's after our shifts. Then, we're going to go home and Sof is going to talk our ears off about whatever crazy stuff her and Zola did today at daycare. I'mma help her with her homework while you relax in a warm bath. We can order pizza in, thinking about all the bad carbs in it while stuffing our faces anyway. We can have nighttime all together and once she's asleep, we're going to enjoy ourselves. I think we still have some microwavable pop corn left from last time lying around somewhere in the kitchen, we just have to find it. I'm sure we can manage to find a crappy movie to fall asleep in front of. As for the cuddles, well… Sof and I would be happy to oblige."

"You're the best, you know that?" Amelia smiled tiredly, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Arizona grinned sleazily. "I do try," she teased.

* * *

"You do know we're only going to Owen's, right? No need to be so dressed up."

"I'm dressed to impress!" Amelia said sassily with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Impress who? Jennifer? Because all I see coming from her seeing you dress like this is jealousy," the pediatric surgeon laughed.

Amelia put both hands on her hips, her poker face on. "Impress you, dumbass."

"Oh, baby," she said in the same kiddie voice she used when their daughter did something she found adorable. "You don't need to dress up to impress me. You already do that by just being you," she said sweetly and truthfully.

"Shut up!" the brunette scolded lightheartedly with a smile. "I wanted to look nice for you, okay? Can't you be a good girlfriend and just be grateful and appreciative?" Amelia stated in annoyance.

"Trust me, I'm very _very_ appreciative," she kissed her slowly.

Her hands settled onto Amelia's neck since she didn't want to destroy the brunette's braids. She ran her tongue over Amelia's lips, silently asking for entrance. She opened up, welcoming her girlfriend's intrusion. Amelia's hands traveled passed her hips to swiftly rest on her butt and pull her impossibly closer. Her tongue battled with Arizona's and she could feel a familiar warm wave of fondness and hunger flooding over her insides, leaving her weak on her knees. The neurosurgeon couldn't help the small moan that left her throat when Arizona's tongue swept along the roof of her mouth.

Out of breath, Arizona broke the kiss and smirked when she felt the quickened pulse under her fingertips. Even though Amelia's eyes were closed, Arizona had little doubt on the darkness of want filling them. She bought her mouth close to the brunette's ear.

"I'll show you exactly how grateful I am once we get back," she whispered and watched the shivers come alive and travel down Amelia's porcelain-like skin.

The brunette finally opened her eyes just in time to witness the sultry smile the other woman was sporting. Arizona shimmied away but the hands on her bottom detained her and she was pulled into another fiery kiss. Teeth scraped at her bottom lip and the blonde whimpered, which prompted Amelia's tongue to assault hers again. Gosh, she had to stop them otherwise they were never going to make it to this dinner in time. She pulled away before she could change her mind and gently pushed the brunette and her devil hands away.

"We really need to go now," she said breathily, her voice dripping with want.

The brunette huffed, disgruntled. "Can't we just cancel?"

Arizona laughed. "He's your best friend, 'Melia."

"At this moment, he isn't," she moaned painfully but grabbed her purse anyway.

* * *

The neurosurgeon was about to knock on Owen's front door when Arizona stopped her hand mid-air.

"Wait. Are you sure I don't look under-dressed?" she asked, visibly uneasy.

"If anything, I think you're overdressed," Amelia winked playfully and the blonde softly hit her arm. "Okay, okay, I'm stopping. But more seriously, every inch of you looks absolutely perfect. You're rocking this new sweater and those pants make your ass looks out of this world. I'm maybe bias though," she pecked the blonde's cheek. "If it helps, I'm pretty sure Owen's going to be in sweatpants," she joked while also knowing it was a real probability.

"It weirdly does. Thanks."

"Any chance to drag my friend in the dirt," Amelia chuckled and finally knocked on the door.

Owen opened a few seconds later with a wide smile. The brunette was agreeably surprised to see him wearing real pants.

"Hey guys! Please come in. Jennifer's in the kitchen."

Amelia could tell he was feeling a little stressed but he hid it pretty well. They discarded their coats and once in the kitchen, Arizona had to give Amelia right: Jennifer sure was pretty. She reminded Arizona a lot of Izzie Stevens. Legs for day, blonde curly hair and deep brown eyes.

"Hi," Amelia greeted and shook her hand. "I'm Amelia."

"Right, we encountered at Joe's! Owen told me a lot about you."

"Good things only I hope," she gently elbowed the redhead in the stomach on her way to sit on the barstool which prompted him to reply.

"Of course!"

It was Arizona's turn to shake the blonde's hand. "Arizona," she said with a sweet smile to put her at ease and set the cake they had made with Sofia down onto the counter. She took a sit next to her girlfriend and a hand came to comfortably rest on her thigh.

"Right! You work with Owen at the hospital, isn't that right?" she said after focusing, having more trouble to place her. "This looks delicious," she pointed to the cake.

"Yes, peds surgeon. We've been working together for what? Five years or so. And thanks, my daughter helped so you know, if there are a few eggshells in there, I can't be held responsible," she joked and Jennifer relaxed a little.

"Do you want a drink?" Owen asked as he took out some glasses.

He opened the wine bottle skillfully and Amelia could see the little excitement into his new girlfriend's eyes. She discreetly squeezed Arizona's thigh and motioned to Jennifer with a tilt of her head. Owen poured a glass for Jennifer and then served the pediatric surgeon and himself. When the trauma surgeon didn't even offer some to the brunette, Jennifer frowned and took it upon herself.

"Do you want a glass, Amelia?"

Owen's eyes popped out. It had become so normal to never offer her anything alcoholic that he didn't even realize it might seem weird to other people.

"Amelia-uh," he struggled to come up with an excuse, not wanting to divulge his best friend's struggles.

"No thanks. I'm driving," Amelia stated, glad for the excuse and gave Owen a reassuring look. "It smells freaking amazing in there by the way! What did you cook?" Amelia took a deep breath in.

"Chicken piccata," the redhead replied. "To be honest, Jen did most of the work," he admitted sweetly and squeezed Jennifer's arm.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that because we all know you're a little helpless in the kitchen," the neurosurgeon teased.

"Hey! Stop trying to make me look bad in front of Jen," Owen argued and all women chuckled.

"It's alright, I already know about your cooking skills. Besides, you can't be good at _all_ things, you gotta have a few flaws here and there," Jennifer stated sweetly and kissed his cheek.

Amelia rolled her eyes and pretended to throw up which made Arizona laugh.

"So, you're a surgeon too Amelia, right?" Jennifer asked conversationally.

"Yep. Neurology. What about you? What do you do?"

"I'm an engineer in the food processing industry. I know, doesn't sound as glamorous as surgeon."

"I think it has a nice ring to it," Owen said. "And you get to have a normal shift, which we totally envy."

"Yeah, I'm totally jealous. I barely see this one at home these days," Amelia mentioned towards Arizona.

"Oh, you guys are roommates?" Jennifer raised both eyebrows.

Arizona chuckled. "Amelia's a little more than my roommate. We're partners."

"Oh," Jennifer looked dumbfounded. "Sorry, I didn't know."

"It's quite alright."

They ate accompanied with light conversation, and the more they learned about Jennifer, the more they liked her. Dinner was really good, the blonde definitely was a better cook than Owen. Jennifer still looked a little uncomfortable but both women put it on the fact that it was their first encounter and that the blonde was more on the shy side. Overall, both surgeons thought Jennifer and Owen made a disgustingly cute couple.

The next day, a huge trauma came in and Amelia found herself stuck with Owen and April in OR's for most of the day. However, Owen was no longer the playful and lovable doofus she had seen yesterday evening. The trauma surgeon was moody, almost barking orders at the poor anesthetists and nurses standing with them in the OR's and the brunette eventually had to call him out on it. The ginger apologized for his erratic behavior to the staff once their last surgery done.

"Wanna tell me this was all about?" Amelia asked him as they took their surgical caps off.

He leaned his hip onto the sinks, his eyes fell onto the floor and sadness overcame his features.

"Jen and I broke up," he said rather flatly, trying his best to hide the sorrow in his voice but Amelia heard it anyway.

"What? Why?" Amelia was confused. They had seemed just fine last night when Arizona and she had left.

"She-uh… she said she didn't want me to-hum" he cleared his throat, "to associate with such people."

Amelia leaned on the sink next to him and took his hand, hoping to bring him some comfort. She frowned at the words. "What did she mean such people?"

Owen stayed silent but his shoulders slumped down.

"Owen, what did she mean?" Amelia asked while racking her brain to find a plausible reason. And then, it came. "Did you tell her I'm a recovering addict?" she asked, this time her tone slightly angry and defensive.

Owen's eyes finally left the floor to look at his friend. "No, of course not. You know I wouldn't."

"Sorry," Amelia apologized, feeling a little ashamed of accusing him so fast.

"It's okay. I know it's a sensitive subject," he replied, ever so understanding.

"Then what was it? Was she jealous? Because Arizona did warn me about that since you know, we're pretty close and we-"

"No, that's not it."

"Then what is it?"

Owen stayed silent but his eyes spoke for him. The neurosurgeon could see the pain and uneasiness into them.

"Gay people. She said she didn't want to be associated with gay people and that she didn't understand how I could be friends with you and Arizona," he admitted a little louder than necessary, anger and hurt lacing his voice.

"Oh," she said, taking it in. "Shit, I'm sorry. I know you really liked her," she gently embraced him into a friendly hug.

Owen melted in her arms, thankful for her presence. "It sucks," he whispered.

"It does," she agreed. "Wanna drown your sorrow in alcohol later?"

"I- no, thanks. I'd rather be alone tonight."

"Okay, but promise me to give me a call when glooming becomes boring?"

A small laugh escaped the man. "Sure."


	30. DON'T LET ME GO

**CHAPTER 30 – DON'T LET ME GO**

_Can you pick Sofia up from daycare? Emergency just came in, I don't know what time I'll be home. Arizona._

Amelia stared at her phone's screen for a long time, her eyes reading the text multiple times, backwards and forwards, over and over again. No please, no kisses, not one single tender word for her partner... The text was as cold and as clinical as it could get. One could conclude the neurosurgeon was simply the babysitter from such a text.

Sure they were in a middle of a fight, but the lack of warmth still hurt. Arizona always, _always_, ended up her text with a kiss, so to not see one at the end of this one felt like taking a punch right in the guts and it made the neurosurgeon feel even more uneasy than she already was. The brunette could read the blonde's frustration in between the lines and she felt her madness grew.

Arizona didn't have the right to get angry at her for wanting some distance. The neurosurgeon was an independent grown ass woman for fuck's sake. She could handle things just fine, she didn't need her partner to hover and ask her if she was alright every five minutes. Amelia should be allowed to have some personal space to think and breathe freely without any interruptions or someone breathing down her neck.

Deep down, she knew Arizona was just doing that because she was worried and because she cared about her, but Amelia wasn't a child. She felt like she was suffocating under Arizona's maternal protection. This very thing she usually cherished and found utterly lovable about Arizona felt like too much those last few days.

_It's fine, I'll get her as soon as I finish my shift. Amelia._

* * *

Arizona was just about to wash her hands for her imminent surgery when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She opened Amelia's text and, while she was glad Amelia was willing to take Sofia home with her, the harsh tone behind the words rubbed her the wrong way.

She hated this. This fighting thing they had been doing for the last couple of days now. Amelia and her had never fought before, not really at least. But over the last week, the blonde could tell Amelia had been hurting. She didn't know why, but she could tell and the fact that the brunette had been refusing to talk about it infuriated her beyond imagination. How was she supposed to help if she didn't even know what was up? And it worried her because the more she was trying to help, to offer her comfort and her presence, the more Amelia was pushing her away.

But more than anything, she hated how it reminded her of her first marriage with Calliope. While she knew it wasn't the same, she couldn't help but feel like Amelia was slipping away from her, just like her ex-wife had. Arizona felt like she wasn't good enough.

She huffed loudly, pocketed her phone back and focused her mind back onto the nine years old kid lying on the table that she was about to cut open. Now wasn't the time to get sidetracked. About mid-surgery, the pediatric surgeon's cell phone rang and she gently asked Mary, the pediatric nurse's aid, to check it.

"Dr Sheperd said she and your daughter just got home, Dr Robbins. Would you like me to text back?"

"No thank you, Mary," Arizona sighed.

"Uh-uh, trouble in love paradise?" Meredith asked teasingly to her colleague.

"Tell me about it. Amelia has been frustrating lately. Something's obviously bothering her but every time I try to talk to her about it, she just clams up. "

The general surgeon's surgical tools froze for a brief moment into their patient's thigh and immediately got back to work a few milliseconds later, but Arizona still noticed the temporary stillness.

The pediatric surgeon looked up at her with her eyebrows furrowed, "You know something I don't."

"No," Meredith said firmly, her eyes locked into their patient's leg and suturing the muscle with far more focus than she actually needed.

Arizona tilted her head slightly to the left, studying the general surgeon's demeanor with squinted eyes. The slight tensed shoulders, the small twitch of her lips… the blonde could tell Meredith was lying through her teeth.

"You do," she replied confidently. "Did she talk to you?"

"Amelia doesn't talk to me about anything but the kids," Meredith looked up at her like she was crazy. "She has you and Owen and Derek for the other stuff."

"Then how do you know what's wrong with her?"

"I don't, I just told you."

"I hate being lied to, especially by my friends."

"Fine," she admitted grumpily. "I know. There. Happy now?"

"What is it?"

"I'm not telling you. It's not my place to say," she hissed.

"But how can I help her if she won't tell me what's going on?"

Meredith stopped her hands from working and looked up at her friend, noticing how concern Arizona was over Amelia's unusual behavior.

"Look, you both have a lot of baggage. And while some of your scars are physical, Amelia's are all emotional."

"I know that. We both have been through some pretty ugly stuff, and as dark as it is, we always talk about them. But now, she's pushing me away and we're fighting over what, I don't even know!"

"Well, you should respect the fact that she's not ready to share this piece of her with you just yet and you should give her the space she wants instead of yelling at her for not opening up about it. She'll come around when she's ready," the general surgeon said, not loud enough to qualify as a yell but almost.

"Wow," the blonde replied, a little taken aback by the powerful and hard yet honest statement.

"Sorry, that was kind of harsh."

"No, I- uh, it's okay," she wrapped her mind about what Meredith had just said. "I appreciate it. I guess I hadn't realized how pushy I was being with her. I just- I hate seeing her in pain like this, you know? I want to be able to help the best I can. And she never asked for alone time before, she usually seeks comfort so it's hard for me to take a step back. It's even harder to do when I don't know what's going on inside that big and beautiful brain of hers. But you're right, I should be more patient."

* * *

Today was the day of her dad's death anniversary. Twenty seven years ago, two men came in her father's shop and decided to shoot him for his watch. Decided to deprive the two children hiding behind the counter and the three playing at home of their devoted and caring dad. To deprive his wife from her loving husband.

The brunette was sobbing on the couch, waiting to have put Sofia to bed to eventually break down and finally release the inner tension that had been building up inside her body over the last week.

"'Melia?" asked a soft and sleepy voice.

Amelia quickly wiped her crocodile tears away and put her fakest smile on, hoping Sofia wouldn't notice her puffy and reddened eyes. She looked over the back of the couch and saw the little girl shuffling towards her, her stuffy in her arms and her big dark chocolate eyes were full of drowsiness.

"Oh, hey sweetie. What are you still doing up? Nightmare?" she asked, her maternal instinct kicking in before she even knew about it.

"I heard you crying," Sofia said softly as she climbed next to her on the couch. "You okay?"

The neurosurgeon let out a humorless laugh and gently grabbed the child's hands in hers. "I'm going to be, baby. It's just that today is a special day and I'm feeling a little sad. I'll feel better tomorrow, I promise."

"Today's special? Is it your cumpleanos? Why are you sad if it's your cumpleanos?" Sofia frowned.

"It's not my birthday Sof'," she took out a deep breath, trying to think of the better way to phrase her thoughts without sounding too scary or inappropriate for a six years old. "When I was a kid, just like you, my daddy died. Today is his death anniversary, so I miss him a little more than usual."

Sofia squeezed her hands and Amelia almost started crying again at the comforting gesture. "My daddy died too. I don't remember him a lot porque I was a chicita when he passed away. But every year, Mama and Mommy light a candle on the day he died and they tell me all of these stories about him and Mama and I pray. I'm not sure my daddy can hear us in heaven, but I hope so. Maybe we can light a candle up for your daddy?"

"When did you get so wise?" Amelia let out a small smile through her tears, astonished by the Latina's kindheartedness.

She felt so proud to be able to call this compassionate and thoughtful six years old hers. The child obviously inherited this side of hers from her mommies.

"You'll have to light it up though. Last time I tried to use a match, I almost burned Mama's casa down and I got yelled at a lot. Mama said I needed _adult supervision, _whatever that means," Sofia said with a nonchalant shrug.

"Come on, let's find the matches and the candles," Amelia chuckled.

Five minutes later, both brunettes were cuddling together on the couch, a small candle burning brightly on the coffee table. Sofia cuddled against the neurosurgeon, seeking warmth and comfort that Amelia was more than happy to provide.

"What was your daddy like?" Sofia asked innocently and then yawned, her eyes trying as hard as they could to stay open.

Amelia could tell the little Latina was about to fall asleep so she dropped a kiss onto her forehead before launching into one of the most cherished memory she had of her dad while her hand tenderly caressed Sofia's back. Her eyes were transfixed on her child's body as she spoke, feeling her little body growing heavier and heavier on top of her as time ticked by, her soft breaths eventually evening out.

When Arizona came home, exhausted both physically and emotionally from her shift, she was pretty surprised to find dim light coming out of their bedroom doorway since it was almost two in the morning. Assuming Amelia had fallen asleep with it on, she quietly got rid of her shoes and coat and made her way to their room.

The door was half open so she carefully opened it fully and the blonde was taken aback to see Amelia wide awake in their bed. The neurosurgeon was holding a visibly worn out watch, her eyes pensively transfixed onto the small item as her fingers ran over it back and forth, obviously immersed into her own bubble.

"You're still up," the pediatric surgeon whispered neutrally, not really sure what mood to expect from her girlfriend.

Amelia's eyes left the watch and looked up straight at her. Arizona couldn't read the expression etched onto her face and she hated it.

"Come here," the brunette said quietly and patted the bed next to her.

The blonde felt a huge wave of relief rushing through her system. Maybe Amelia was still mad at her but at least, she seemed open to dialogue. She did what she was asked and sat down next to the neurosurgeon wordlessly, letting time to Amelia to decide if she wanted to talk about whatever was going on or not.

"It's my father's watch," the brunette's eyes returned to the watch, her fingers rubbing the glass surface with delicacy. "When I was five, Derek and I used to play in the back of the store my dad owned. It was a small shop, nothing really special about it but I loved it. My big sisters never wanted to go there, so it was a safe place away from home for just me and Derek. I remember that day, my dad had just given me two pennies. I'd hide them in the big crack in the floorboard behind the checkout. I used to say I was saving them so I could buy a town," she confided with a sad chuckle. "Der was reading a comic book as usual, he was sitting right next to me and he would complain every time I would ask him to move his feet because they were in the way. Then two guys came in. We heard the bell ringing and then they started talking with our dad but we weren't really paying attention, they were just like any other clients. Until my dad yelled. So I-I peaked around," her eyes met Arizona's ones, needing to look at her to be able to finish her story, needing the strength Arizona was giving her. "They had already pulled a gun and they had already taken the money. And they also wanted his watch. I could see the gun aiming for my dad and I was so terrified, so I yelled. Derek stopped me, put his hand on my mouth and forced me to look away. My dad said he wouldn't give them his watch. So they fired. These two guys shot my dad for his watch," a few tears rolled down her cheek and she pushed them away. "I remember the loud bang of the bullet leaving the chamber. I remember the deafening silence that followed, the only noise being my dad falling down on the floor. I remember seeing his feet sticking out of the section. I was too scared to go and check so Derek got up. But he was already dead."

Arizona grabbed her lover's left hand and she squeezed it tight while her other flew to her cheek, her thumb stroking the tears away. For a moment she was at lost of what to do or what to say. She knew firsthand how painful grief was and how words were futile.

But seeing her partner like this, suffering and aching all over made her feel absolutely terrible. The more they were learning about each other, the more Arizona wished she could simply take the neurosurgeon's pain away. But it also helped her understand why Amelia often seemed older than she actually was. She had probably gone through more losses and more pain in her thirty five years of existence than most people ever would in their entire lifetime.

After a few minutes, she tried nonetheless, "I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's okay," Amelia blew her nose into a tissue.

"No, it's really not. I'm very sorry about today. And the last few days too. I was being pushy and impatient when I should have just dropped it and let you know I was here if you needed me," she laced their fingers together.

"It's kind of my fault too. I should have told you that I was going through something and that I needed some time alone instead of just insisting I was fine and pushing you away."

"I guess we both need to learn how to communicate better with each other," Arizona said lightheartedly with a small smile.

She was rewarded when Amelia offered her a shy grin back and she felt relieved because, no matter how small, it was the first real smile she had seen on Amelia's mouth in a few days.

"Yes, we do."

Bright blue eyes settled into saddened ones as Arizona caressed her cheek. She leaned in, pulling the neurosurgeon into a delicate and tender kiss. It felt like a reconciliation, like an apology for how stupid they had acted. All the anger accumulated seemed to magically float away as the other woman's lips touched hers. Out of breath, Arizona pulled away.

Amelia immediately invaded her personal space, burying herself into the pediatric surgeon's arms and safely tucking her head under Arizona's chin. The weight of Arizona's arm around her midsection felt familiar. She took a deep breath in, smelling the unique fragrance of hospital disinfectant and just plain Arizona. She had missed this. She felt like she was finally home for the first time this week.

"Derek avoided me," Amelia confessed. "I tried calling him a few times today but he never picked up. I tried going to his house at lunch but he wasn't there. He didn't return any of my calls. Why would he do that, Zona?"

The light quivering of Amelia's lower lip and the tears pricking her eyes suggested that Amelia was falling apart so Arizona lovingly ran her hand up and down her back.

"I don't know, baby," she dropped a kiss onto the top of her head.

"He was with me when our daddy died. He's my big brother, he should be here for me. When I lived in LA, he always called on daddy's anniversary. Why didn't he pick up?"

The utter sadness and vulnerability in her partner's voice only broke Arizona's heart down further. For a few moments, she wanted to find Derek and yell at him for not being there when his baby sister needed him the most. But she also knew grief was a very personal experience and if Derek hadn't picked his phone up, he probably had a good reason. It didn't stop her from wanting to strangle him though.

"Everyone experience grief differently. Maybe he needed some alone time this year."

"He could have told me. I needed him," Amelia cried out, her voice breaking and the water works starting again.

Arizona pulled her closer, not caring in the least that the neurosurgeon's tears were staining her top. At this very moment, she wanted nothing more than to take her partner's pain away. To make it all disappear into thin air. She could feel her own eyes watering but chose to ignore it. She wasn't the one who needed comfort right now, she needed to focus onto Amelia.

The blonde wouldn't be able to tell how long they stayed like this, hugging, crying and whispering sweet nothings. It felt like the world had stopped spinning for a while, like nothing mattered except there and then. Eventually, Amelia pulled away and straddled the blonde.

"You should invest in some waterproof mascara," the brunette kidded lightheartedly, her voice now hoarse and she grabbed a tissue to wipe the two blacks stains under the other woman's eyes away.

The joke, no matter how bad it was, made Arizona laugh and the tension that had been surrounding them for the last few days was finally gone, their usual intimate playfulness back.

"Why? Don't you think I look hot full of tears and snot?" she teased back and blew her nose.

The blonde was however surprised when Amelia looked at her, her somber blue eyes boring into hers with seriousness and care. A hand cupped her cheek, the brunette's thumb caressing her cheek softly back and forth.

"I think you always look stunning," she kissed her tenderly, wanting to show her she really meant it. "Do you miss Timothy?"

"Everyday," the blonde replied honestly, her hands snaking around Amelia's waist.

"You rarely talk about him."

It wasn't an accusation, merely a fact, an observation. It let the choice to Arizona to either reply or either not to. But Amelia had shared a big part of herself and her past tonight, and she wanted to return the favor. To show her that, while grief was hard to talk about, she would always be there for Amelia if she wanted to talk about it, or not talk about it and simply bury herself into her arms and cry.

"They say time eases the pain, but it doesn't. Not really, you know?"

Amelia nodded. She was all too familiar with what the blonde was evoking.

"Tim's always with me. Every minute of every day. Right here," she tapped over her heart. "He was my best friend for twenty three years. Growing up in the military, we moved around a lot. Never sticking around long enough to make friends so we were each other's friend. We were tight. When Tim first told me he wanted to join the army like our dad, I felt so proud. Sure, I was terrified but mostly proud. For twenty three years, he was the most important person in my world. My best friend, my worst enemy at times, my confidant… A bond like this just doesn't go away, you know?"

"Owen said it was difficult to grieve for him because they couldn't hold a proper funeral. Megan's body wasn't… in a good enough shape."

"They never did find Tim's body, so no real funeral for us either. Mom and dad – they've been in the military for so long, they're used to no body. Even if it was their son, they started grieving when the army told us Timothy was dead. However, I didn't. I couldn't believe it was really him. They must have made a mistake, because my brother couldn't be dead. Only when he didn't get home on the day he was supposed to after his tour in Iraq, I realized that he was never coming back. Only then I started to grieve."

"I don't really remember my dad's funeral," Amelia averted her gaze onto her hands, her fingers toying anxiously together. "I don't know if it's because I was young or because I repressed it. I just remember sitting on a pew, crying rivers for what felt like hours. I think my mom gave a eulogy? I'm not even sure. I do remember his casket going down though. I couldn't fathom that my dad's last home would be that stupid six foot by ten wood box. I thought it looked ugly."

"Did you go visit his tombstone a lot?" Arizona asked, her voice ever so affectionate and Amelia felt like she could tell her her worst secrets and the blonde would still be there for her, ready to comfort her.

"My mom used to take us about once a month to bring flowers and stuff. I could never set a foot out of the car. I knew that if I'd go over there, I'd just cry until I'd pass out. I used to tell Kathryn to give him a kiss for me."

"I think Tim would have liked you a lot."

"Really?" she asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah. Believe it or not but he had a thing for pretty brunettes with blue eyes," the pediatric surgeon said with a smile. "Plus he was as much of a dork as you are. You guys would've gotten along great and my life would have been impossible."

Amelia poked her ribs. "Fuck you, I'm an awesome dork."

"Of course you are. You're mine," Arizona grinned widely and softly hugged her closer and pecked her sweetly.

"Can you talk about something else, please? I feel like we did enough emotional vomiting for the decade to come."

"Sure," she chuckled. "How was Sof tonight?"

"She was an absolute angel. I-uh, she found me crying on the couch. She talked a little about Mark and how apparently you guys always light a candle for his anniversary so we did that and then she kept me company until she fell asleep. She was a real champ about the whole thing."

"We taught her well then."

"You did. She's the most precious thing on earth."

* * *

Amelia was silently eating a banana in the attending's lounge and reading the newspapers at the table while April was resting on the couch, her arm dropped over her eyes in order to block the sunlight.

"Hello April, hello honey," Arizona greeted as she walked in, looking as fresh and as cheerful as ever.

April mumbled something in acknowledgement and the blonde chuckled, taking a seat next to Amelia.

"Hi there beautiful," the brunette replied, way more enthusiastically.

She stopped her reading to kiss her girlfriend good morning.

"Anything interesting?" she motioned to the paper with her chin.

"Not really. My horoscope did say I would be blessed today though, and you just happened to skip right through the door, so I'd say it's pretty accurate," she smirked as she looked at the blonde.

"Dork," Arizona chuckled and kissed Amelia again just for being cute.

They both heard a disgruntled moan coming from the couch. "You guys are sickening," Kepner said. "You're grosser than a couple of teenagers."

"Well, at least those sickening gross teenagers are getting laid," Arizona taunted April, knowing full well her best friend was going through a dry spell.

"You're mean," April said grumpily and blindly threw a pillow at Arizona, missing her by a few feet.

A beeping was heard and all three surgeons looked down at their pagers out of reflex.

"Mine," the redhead whined but quickly got up anyway. "Guess my nap will have to wait," she muttered as she walked out.

"So, I'm going to Derek's after my shift," Amelia said confidently.

Arizona grew suddenly concerned and it must have shown because Amelia squeezed her thigh reassuringly in response and grinned fondly at her.

"Relax. I called him this morning and I told him I wanted to talk about yesterday and why he didn't pick up. He said we have a lot to talk about so I should just come over tonight."

The pediatric surgeon let a small breath of relief, still not one hundred percent convinced about it. On one hand, she feared the conversation would not stir in a good direction and that her partner would end up in an even worst state than last night. On the other hand, Amelia had amazing emotional strength and resilience and Arizona trusted her judgment. If she wanted to go and talk with her brother, then Arizona was going to support her and be ready for whatever the outcome was. Good or bad, the blonde would be there. She squeezed the other woman's hand.

"Good. Now, please tell me my horoscope for today?"

* * *

Arizona and Meredith were scrubbing out of surgery and the pediatric surgeon eagerly looked at her phone. When she saw no missed phone call and no text, she sighed, obviously disappointed.

"What's wrong?" Meredith asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"No sign of Amelia. I'm getting a little worried."

"Come on, she must be sleeping. It's pretty late."

"I know. But she said she would let me know how it would go with Derek."

The general surgeon gave her a reassuring smile. "No need to get worried, Robbins. She must simply have forgotten. I'm sure she's waiting impatiently for you at home."

"You're probably right."

When Arizona eventually got home, it felt lonely. No Sofia or Amelia to brighten her evening. She grew more anxious because Amelia still hadn't text her or call her to tell her where she was and it was getting pretty late. The blonde tried calling her, at least to tell her good night and that her side of the bed was cold, but Arizona went straight to voicemail. She quickly shot Derek a text to ask him what time Amelia had left him and she went to wash the day away, hoping the warm water would wash away her worry too.

Meanwhile, Meredith parked home and she was surprised to see her house as lit up as a Christmas tree. She walked inside carefully, not really sure why the lights were still on. She quickly found her answer though. Derek and Amelia were cuddled up and fast asleep under a blanket onto the couch, The rescuers' end credits rolling onto the TV screen.

Knowing Arizona must be worried sick on the other side of town to not have found her girlfriend home, the general surgeon took a snap of the two siblings sleeping "found something of yours." Knowing their couch wasn't that comfortable to sleep on, Meredith softly shook her husband awake.

"Huh?" he asked.

He looked all around him groggily, seeing his sister still asleep next to him and his wife leaning over them.

"What's going on?" he whispered.

"Midnight is what's going on," she teased him playfully.

"Shit," he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, noticing everything was still on. "We were watching The Rescuers but I guess we fell asleep."

"I gathered as much. Come on, let's go to bed," Meredith said as she turned the TV and the lights off.

Derek picked his sleeping sister up bridal style and gently lay her down onto the bed into the guest room before sliding next to his wife under the sheets.

The next morning, Amelia woke up as confused as she could be. First of all, she was wearing clothes which she absolutely hated to sleep in and secondly, the harsh rays of sunshine were hitting her straight in the eyes. However, it wasn't what had wakened her up.

"Auntie Amelia?"

That was what had wakened her up. She rolled away from the sun and forced her eyes to flutter open, her hands rubbing the sleep away. A quick look down at herself informed her she was still fully clad into yesterday's clothes and if Zola's face standing barely a few inches from hers was any indication, she was still at Derek's.

"Hey Zola," she greeted, her mind foggy.

"Daddy's making breakfast," the little girl said in that particular tone that children thought was whispering but really wasn't. Still, the neurosurgeon appreciated the effort her niece was trying to make for her. "You should come before we eat it all. Plus Scooby is on."

"Thank you sweetheart," she dropped a kiss on her forehead and Zola scattered away, running down the stairs seemingly as loudly as humanly possible.

How she had ended up into the guest room was a mystery. The last thing she remembered was Bernard and Miss Bianca running around. She sat up onto the edge of the bed and stretched her limbs around before heading downstairs. Zola and Bailey were sitting at the dinner table, giggling happily while Derek was in the kitchen, flipping pancakes with Ellis tucked on his left hip. She kissed Zola and Bailey good morning and went to her brother. As soon as baby Ellis saw her auntie, she extended her arms and she babbled joyfully.

"Hi Der, hello babygirl," she took the baby in her arms, peppering her face with soft kisses, happy to hear her giggles fill the room. "Someone's in a good mood."

"Hey sis. Slept okay?"

"Like a baby. How did I end up in the guest room though?"

"Carried you," he shrugged nonchalantly. "Mer came home around midnight and found us sleeping on the couch."

"I'm glad we got to talk yesterday, it was really great," she said shyly, her hand caressing Ellis' feet to help her calm some of her nervousness down.

"Me too. We should do this more often," he said honestly, brotherly care shining into his blue eyes. "Oh, and you better call Robbins. Meredith said she was worried about you last night."

"Fuc- Funk. I meant funk," she quickly caught herself before swearing in front of her baby niece. "I told her I would text her but then my battery died and I completely forgot. Can I borrow your phone?"

"Sure," Derek fished his cell phone out his pocket and handed it to her.

Amelia placed Ellis onto her highchair and went to isolate herself. If Derek ever saw her acting like a lovesick teenager with Arizona, she would never hear the end of it. She eagerly selected Arizona's name to call her.

"Hello?" Arizona answered drowsily.

"Zona? It's me, Amelia."

"Oh hey," Arizona forced herself to wake up a bit and sat up, glad to hear her lover's voice. "I'm up, I'm up. I'm guessing it went okay since you slept over?"

"Extremely so. I'm sorry I didn't call or text. My phone died and then Derek and me passed the whole evening with the kids, it went out of my mind."

"It's okay, 'Melia. Meredith texted me when she got home. I'm just really happy it worked out with your brother."

"Still, I'm sorry."

"You should feel sorrier about letting me sleep all by myself. I had to find you a replacement so I wouldn't get too cold," the blonde teased sleepily.

Amelia's curiosity was picked. She knew April was working last night and it was Callie's week with Sofia. "Who in the hell?"

"Dakota from the gift shop."

The brunette could easily guess the sleepy smirk adorning the other woman's features. "Oh yeah?" she chuckled. "I hope she was respectful and didn't take advantage of my short leave of absence to make a move on my partner."

"Nah, she was very well-mannered. She's nowhere near as comfy and as cuddly as you, though."

The neurosurgeon could almost hear her pout and she wanted to teleport herself next to her to kiss it away.

"How about I come home so we can rectify that then? Snuggles and a late morning in, what do you say?"

"I say it's time you come home already, wifey. My arms are feeling lonely."

"Sold then," the neurosurgeon giggled. "I love you, see you in a bit."

"Love you too, mwah," she made a kissing noise and hung up.

A huge smile on her lips, Amelia went back to the kitchen feeling lighter on her feet.

"You're not in trouble, are you?" Derek asked as she came back.

Amelia handed him his phone back and he pocketed it. "Nope."

"Are you staying for breakfast?"

"No, thank you. Sleeping Beauty is waiting for me back home," she said joyfully, grinning from ear to ear.


	31. ALIVE

**CHAPTER 31 - ALIVE**

"Uh," Arizona loudly panted out, out of breath, as she let her sweaty body fall next to a smirking and perfectly normal-breathing Amelia on the bed.

"So, fifth one is the winner I take it?"

"The fifth one _definitely_ is the winner. One more and I fear my clit might just fall off," Arizona joked in between two harsh breaths.

"Good, that's what I was aiming for. Sore clit and stiff muscles, my job is done here," Amelia leaned in and kissed her girlfriend's forehead.

Once she had her breathing back in check, Arizona rested her head onto Amelia's ribcage, quietly listening to the relaxing and steady heartbeats beneath her ear. The brunette ran her fingers through her hair soothingly and she tried to tame it in vain. When Arizona moved to lie more comfortably on her front, her chin replaced her ear onto the other woman's sternum. Her eyes fell onto the brunette's face who was looking at her, seemingly deep in thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" the blonde asked.

The fingers in her hair stilled, "Only seven wonders in the world and one of them is right here," she said lovingly, sweetness and care overtaking her features.

Arizona blushed and planted a kiss onto Amelia's ribcage, shivers appearing right under her lips. "Thanks."

Amelia gave her a smug grin in reply. "Who said I was talking about you?" she asked playfully, a spark of mischief igniting her navy blue eyes.

Arizona rolled her eyes because _of course_, she should have known Amelia was going to say something like this. The blonde couldn't help but grin nonetheless at her girlfriend's impossible behavior. Amelia never ceased to make her laugh. And the brunette couldn't help the way her heart swoon with every chuckle her silly joke of the day got.

Arizona looked beautiful when she was laughing. Her eyes would squint ever so slightly and reveal subtle crow's feet, a glint of amazement would make her luminous baby blue eyes stand out even more, her lips would turn into a wide smile that would only enchant Amelia's heart further under Arizona's love spell, and glee would spread all over her face, making her dimples pop out. Arizona's giggles had a special way of filling up a room too, with warmth and conviviality and a unique charm. Amelia would be able to recognize it anywhere because as soon as the sound would get to her ears, her stomach would fill with thousands of butterflies. Carefree and peaceful and enjoying the moment, Arizona was absolutely breath-taking. Every bad pun and every silly joke was worth it for a sight of the pediatric surgeon laughing.

"That was some of my best work right there, if not my very best yet," Amelia made a proud face.

"Oh yeah?" Arizona asked, deciding to play along.

"Totally. At least eleven out of ten. I deserve a freaking Oscar for this performance. My tongue is feeling very weird right now, like it doesn't belong in my mouth anymore and my lower jaw is painful."

Arizona only chuckled more.

"I'm serious! It was worth the shot though. You moaned harder than you did in a long time and the level of thighs quivering happening was like, intense. I know I delivered good work before but that were some five stars orgasms right here."

Arizona laughed harder and Amelia relished in the moment, wishing she would never stop making that woman laugh.

"Okay, Michelangelo of orgasms, I think we get it," the blonde joked and kissed the brunette, which proved difficult since they were both grinning from ear to ear.

"I love you, so much," Amelia said.

"I love you too, dork," she kissed her languidly.

Her hand came to cup the brunette's cheek and she swiped her tongue across Amelia's lips. She was granted access almost immediately, but before the pediatric surgeon could deepen the kiss, the brunette pulled away briskly. Arizona gave her a puzzled look.

"You should be proud of yourself too! I couldn't have done it without you. These were really enthusiastic vocals you pulled off, definitely encouraged me to do my best."

"Oh my God, where is the switch off button?"

"Come on, you know you love it," the neurosurgeon smirked.

* * *

"Did someone order a big ol' sack of potatoes?" Arizona asked playfully as she entered her daughter's bedroom.

She was holding Sofia upside down, her hands tightly grasping tiny calves, her daughter's hips resting onto her right shoulder, her little upper body dangling down against her back. Amelia was already sitting on her bed, waiting for her two princesses to finish brushing their teeth so they could tuck Sofia in.

"I'M NOT A POTATO MOMMY!" Sofia squealed.

"Yep, right here. One sack of the sweetest potatoes in the whole state," Amelia played along.

"MOMMY, STOP IT!" Sofia asked, shrieking happily.

"Here's your delivery ma'am," the blonde, with Amelia's help, took the Latina down and slowly threw her onto the mattress, holding dearly onto her to prevent any injuries.

The neurosurgeon looked at her doubtfully and then at Arizona with a frown. "Uh-uh, those aren't the potatoes I ordered," she said seriously with her hands onto her hips.

"Are you sure?" Arizona asked, her brows furrowing too.

Soon, both adults were examining their daughter as if she was from another planet and they had never seen a human before. They lifted her arms and legs inquisitively and softly pulled onto her toes as if they didn't what their purpose were.

"It's yo!" Sofia exclaimed, laughing under their playful ministrations and grabby hands.

"Definitely not what I ordered," Amelia concluded.

"Oh, look at this!" Arizona said as she pointed to their child's navel.

"What is that?" Amelia asked, surprised.

"I dunno," the blonde shrugged.

"It's my novel, sillies!" Sofia explained.

Both parents almost lost their shit at the cute word replacement and had to control their laughter. That was also the moment Sofia's belly chose to cry out loud.

"I think it's trying to communicate. Should we engage?" Amelia asked to the blonde with an eyebrow raised.

The blonde leaned over and placed her mouth an inch or so above the navel. "Hello?" she asked tentatively and then leaned her ear over the tummy. Of course no reply came except for Sofia's giggles.

"T'was my barriga."

"I think we lost contact," Arizona concluded, ever so seriously.

"Maybe, try to tickle it? See if it does anything?" Amelia suggested.

The tiny brunette yanked her pajamas down over her belly rapidly.

"NO! No tickle monster please!" she exclaimed, her little eyes popping out at the menace.

Both women smirked at their daughter's plea. They broke their little play, deciding they had tortured her enough for the evening.

Amelia kissed her clad belly. "'Kay baby. No tickle monster for you tonight. Now let's get you under the sheets."

She climbed inside and her mommy grabbed the bedtime book they had started yesterday and the neurosurgeon lay down next to Sofia.

"All ready for your story?"

"Si."

The brunette soothingly rubbed Sofia's belly, listening as carefully as Sofia her girlfriend peacefully reading aloud. Amelia would gladly listen to her read all day long, she wouldn't even care what it would be as long as Arizona's voice would be filling up the room. There was something relaxing about the way Arizona articulated her speech that was just captivating. With each word, Sofia's eyelids grew heavier and her hold onto her stuffie grew looser, indicating she was getting sleepier and sleepier.

"Sleep tight sweetheart, I love you," Arizona whispered and dropped a kiss onto her forehead lovingly.

"'Noche."

"G'night my sweet little potato," Amelia cued teasingly. "I love you."

"'m not a potato," she mumbled, half asleep. "Night mommies, love you."

Amelia froze on her way out, too stunned to move anymore. _Mommies_.

Said ever so casually.

Of course, she considered Sofia to be her daughter. She loved that baby girl to pieces and would do anything to protect her. It had honestly taken her by surprise at first. Amelia had had doubt she would ever be able to love a child as much as she had loved her baby boy. It had seemed impossible. To feel so much love into every fiber of her being that her heart had been ready to burst into millions of pieces. There was no way she could ever feel like this again. So fragile yet so strong at the same time.

But here she was, standing frozen in the middle of her daughter's room. She could feel her heart aching in her chest and her eyes watering as a huge and powerful wave of an unidentified emotion ran through her.

Arizona spotted her distress and gently pulled her out of the room. The pediatric surgeon carefully closed the door before giving her partner her undivided attention. She could see the gears turning but she couldn't quite make out if it the outcome was good or bad.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her hand cupping Amelia's cheek tenderly and forced the dark blue eyes up until they met her own.

"She said mommies," Amelia replied shakily and blinked rapidly, trying to make the upcoming tears disappear. A few rolled down her cheeks without her consent anyway and Arizona was quick to push them away.

"She did," she replied simply.

Clearly Amelia needed some time to process. The brunette knew that she represented a somewhat parental figure to Sofia, even calling herself "the cool step mom" sometimes, but never in a million years had she expected Sofia to think of her as her mom. That kid already had two mommies and a daddy for Christ's sake. And she still wanted _her_ to be her mom? It felt surreal and she wasn't sure how to deal with what she was feeling.

It was too much.

Not knowing how to deal with what she was feeling inside, Amelia externalized it how she could. Her arms snaked around her partner's waist and she pulled her into a bone crushing hug, gluing their body as close as she humanly could. She needed to feel Arizona against her. She didn't know why, but she knew she needed to. Her head sought the crook of her neck and she hid under blonde curls, inhaling Arizona's perfume and the sweet scent of her shampoo.

The blonde could feel a few tears wetting her top but she didn't care, as long as Amelia was alright. She rubbed her back affectionately, hoping to bring the comfort the other woman was seeking. She dropped a kiss onto her forehead and simply held her, whispering sweet nothings until Amelia was ready to talk. Eventually after a few minutes, the brunette's soft cries died down and her slightly puffy eyes weren't tearing up anymore.

"She said mommies," Amelia affirmed this time confidently, still resting her head into Arizona's neck. "We're her moms."

Arizona grabbed one of her hands and linked their fingers together, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We are."

Amelia pulled back and looked at her lover adoringly. "I'm so in love with you."

The pediatric surgeon grinned, "I'm in love with you too," she said back and leaned in for a tender kiss. "Are you alright?"

Amelia realized then that Arizona was probably a little concerned with the behavior she had just exhibited. She let out a nervous chuckle. "I-uh, yes, sorry for that. It's just, I, I'm a mom," she said with a wide smile.

Arizona was pretty sure the neurosurgeon's cheeks were hurting from smiling so big. "It's okay, I get it. I was a mess the first time Sofia called me mommy. I cried for so long Calliope thought something was wrong with me."

Amelia giggled. "What did she say first? Mama, mommy or daddy?"

"Nah, her first word was again. Mark and I were playing with that dolphin plastic toy during her bath time. It had this little hole on top that squirted some water and of course Mark though it would be funny to spray me in the face. He laughed and I was about to scold him when Sofia giggled and said "again". I was so shocked I didn't even react when Mark sprayed me again."

"Little traitor from the beginning," Amelia said playfully and gently brushed a fallen blonde curl back behind her ear. "I got a little overwhelmed because the only person I have ever been a mom to died. I don't think I had quite grieved the fact that I would never hear my baby boy call out for me. Therefore, I didn't think I was ready for another child to say it out loud, you know? But… it feels good. It feels magical," she then frowned. "Am I making any sense?"

Arizona nodded and the shine into her eyes told Amelia she sincerely did understand her. Amelia pecked her cheek and squeezed the other woman's butt.

"Come on, it's getting weird standing into the corridor when the couch is only a few feet away and we could be making out."

Arizona giggled back and happily followed her into the living room.

* * *

"Sweet dreams, honey," Amelia kissed her niece's forehead and cleaned up the bedtime book they had been reading.

"G'night Auntie Amelia," Zola replied sleepily from under the warm sheets she had been tucked only a few minutes ago, already half asleep.

The brunette turned the light off and tip-toed her way out the bedroom, closing the door ever so meticulously slow in order to not make too much noise. Derek and Meredith were out on a date tonight so Amelia had gladly volunteered to keep her nieces and nephew for the night. Any opportunity was to pass a few hours with her brother's three little monsters.

When the neurosurgeon arrived downstairs, she could see two wine glasses waiting on the coffee table, red wine and probably apple juice judging by the color, along a big bowl of ice cream with two spoons sticking upward in it. Arizona, who was already sat down onto the couch, bent her head backwards on the back of the couch when she heard feet shuffling down the stairs, honey blonde hair cascading down the dark taupe couch.

"Zola's finally out?" she asked, a little concerned that Amelia had taken so much time to put her down to sleep when the little girl was usually out as soon as her head would hit the pillow.

"She insisted on finishing the chapter and of course, it was an extra-duper long one. But I didn't have the heart to take over. She is so cute when she stumbles over difficult words," she replied as she took a seat next to the blonde and tucked herself under the other woman's chin.

Arizona softly squeezed her closer and dropped a kiss on top of her head.

"What are we watching tonight?"

"I thought we could use a break from Disney and Pixar. Game of thrones?" the pediatric surgeon asked.

"God yes, it's been forever since we last watched an episode together."

Amelia grabbed the ice cream bowl and cuddled back next to her girlfriend as she wrapped the blanket around them to form a warm and secure cocoon. Two episodes in, belly full of vanilla and chocolate ice cream and a glass of wine/apple juice later, their attentions had drifted away from the screen. The blanket had been carelessly thrown on the floor and they were now both making out like horny teenagers on their parents' couch.

Arizona happily let Amelia take the lead, however there was no doubt she was the one in charge. The neurosurgeon made quick work of her sleeping tee-shirt as she straddled the blonde's thighs, keen to discover the silky skin she knew resided under the fabric. Her yearning lips finally left Arizona's and strolled burning kisses down her jaw, down her neck and down her chest 'til they reached their final destination and wrapped themselves around a hardened nipple. The blonde let out a guttural moan at the touch and her back arched against her will to seek more contact.

Arizona's hand wandered over Amelia's belly, gently tracing the subtle stretch marks adorning it with her fingertips but completely dismissing her partner from the waist up and instead choosing to head straight to where she wanted, which was coincidently where Amelia was craving her the most. Her fingers invaded her sweatpants with ease in one swift motion. Already, she could feel shivers running all over the other woman's thighs in anticipation, a groan escaped her mouth and her hips rocked impatiently on their own accord to meet Arizona in the middle.

Amelia's warm lips left the other woman's chest only to lose themselves on her neck and her experienced hands took over, putting the exact right amount of pressure Arizona needed and effortlessly teasing her stiff nipples to perfection, hitting all the right spots like it was all part of a well rehearsed game they had played many times before.

The inquisitive and feather-like touch on the brunette's clit was enough for a small throaty moan to make its way out, the sound sending shivers all over the blonde's body, and Amelia's thighs tensed up as she started to match up every single one of Arizona's moves. Amelia nipped not so softly the already reddened skin of her lover's collarbone when Arizona's circles around her bundle of nerves steadily grew firmer.

In their ardor, they hadn't heard the front door opening. Nor the steps coming in closer and closer.

Meredith and Derek sure hadn't quite known what they were going to come back home to: would the house be the usual mess it was when Auntie Amelia was around? Would all three of their kids be asleep? Would Amelia be asleep too? Would she be asleep and their kids still up? But coming home only to find Auntie Amelia and her partner going at it on their couch sure hadn't been one of their hypotheses. So to say they were shocked would be quite an understatement.

As soon as Derek spotted them, he immediately one eighted, almost falling down in the process thanks to his unusual speed, and Meredith yelped loudly before imitating her husband and turning around. The sound brought the two women out of their trance and their eyes fell onto the intruders.

"Oh shit!" Amelia cried out and covered Arizona's naked waist with her own clad body, hugging the blonde close.

The pediatric surgeon's hand was out of her girlfriend's pants even quicker than it had taken it to get in, her whole face turned bright red and she hid her head into Amelia's neck, silently begging it was a nightmare and that she would soon wake up.

"Mer, please tell me I just didn't see my baby sister having sex with Robbins," he said rhetorically, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"I thought you guys weren't supposed to be back for another hour!" Amelia exclaimed as Arizona put her clothes back on.

"And I thought you were supposed to watch the kids!" the general surgeon replied, still turned and her arms wildly flew around in annoyance.

"Trust me, I deeply regret not savoring that one more hour with my wife. Now, that sight is forever engraved in my brain."

"We're decent, you guys can turn around," Arizona said shyly and then cleared her throat.

"Come on, Der. I'm allowed to have a sex life."

"Oh, a fact I'm painfully aware of. But it doesn't have to involve my couch! We use that couch!" Derek said as he turned around to face the two women, still shocked and irritated.

"Like you and Mer had a problem going at it on the kitchen counter a few months ago. You're still using that counter as far as I'm concerned," Amelia scoffed back.

Derek looked appalled while Meredith just looked plain uncomfortable, as much as Arizona did.

"You know what? I'm going to check on the kids real quick," the dirty blonde pointed to the stairs before escaping the room and the conversation.

"I better uh… go with you," Arizona said, seizing the golden opportunity to flee away from the embarrassing situation.

The brunette looked back at Derek. "Oh yeah, I totally saw that. You're lucky it was only me by the way and not my innocent niece or nephew. At least, Zona and I had the decency to wait until the kids were asleep."

"How generous of you," he said sarcastically.

"Stop being such a hypocrite."

Derek pointed at her with his index accusingly. "Just don't have sex on my couch, will you?"

Amelia threw her arms in the air. "Fine, whatever. S'not like it would have been the first time anyway," she muttered the last part under her breath so he wouldn't hear. Unfortunately for her, Meredith was getting down the stairs and caught it.

The general surgeon's eyes almost popped out of their sockets and she opened her mouth only to be cut short by Arizona, not wanting Derek to know they had already christened his couch.

"How about we call it a night, 'kay? Let's go home babe," Arizona proposed and extended her arm towards her girlfriend.

"Good idea Robbins," Derek easily agreed, obviously tired from what had transpired. He ran a hand into his perfect hair distractedly, "Thank you again for watching the kids," this time, his tone was calmer.

As Arizona and Amelia finally got out, Meredith turned to Derek, looping her arms around his neck.

"We're totally buying a new couch first thing tomorrow morning, right?"


	32. LOST IN LOVE

**CHAPTER 32- LOST IN LOVE**

"Does he have red hair?"

"Nope!" Sofia shrieked happily. "Does yours have glasses?"

Amelia carefully closed the front door and quickly took her shoes and coat off before exploring around the house, a tad confused because she couldn't figure out from where her daughter's and girlfriend's voices were coming from. She quickly found the reason she hadn't been able to place their muffled voices though. In the middle of their living room were assemble about every single blanket they owned and then some. The neurosurgeon could make out the top shape of the back of a few chairs, a few clothes pegs were here and there and what looked an awful lot like the electrical cord of Sofia's fairy lights could be seen coming out of the left corner. She knelt in front of a fallen blanket that she assumed to be the pretend-front-door and lightly knocked onto the soft material.

"Knock knock."

"Who is it?" Sofia's voice came from inside.

"Amelia."

"'Melia!" the little girl bolted out of the blanket fort and catapulted herself into the brunette's arms. "You're back!"

Amelia stumbled backwards at the surprising yet still welcomed rush and landed onto her butt at the forceful crash, which turned out to be much more stable than kneeling anyway. She softly hugged her daughter tighter and her little body melted into hers until the Latina had the adult supporting all of her weight, the smell of artificial strawberry of Sofia's shampoo tickled Amelia's nose.

"Hello sweetheart," she dropped a sweet kiss onto her forehead and pushed a few dark locks away from her face. "What are you still doing in your PJ's after lunch?"

"We're having a Saturday PJ's!"

The blanket door was push aside and Arizona's face appeared. She crawled out, cautious since she didn't have her prosthetic on, and Amelia noticed the blonde was indeed wearing her pajamas too.

"Hello love," the blonde greeted with a warm smile.

The neurosurgeon couldn't help but reciprocate. "Hey you," she pecked her cheek. "I'm confused," she frowned at their daughter and then looked up at her girlfriend with a puzzled face, "Sunday are PJ's day, not Saturdays."

"I know but it's been raining non-stop since we woke up and there's only so much you can do with a child indoors so I thought we could go the distance and do a full PJs week-end."

"I like this idea a lot. We shall totally do that every time it rains on week-ends."

"Yes! Week-end PJ's! Week-end PJ's!" Sofia chanted exaltedly.

"You do know we live in Seattle and it rains fairly often, right?" Arizona chuckled with a raised eyebrow.

"Exactly," Amelia smirked. "So, do I get a tour of this blanket mansion or what?"

"It's a fort, not a mansion, silly," Sofia teased. "Te gusta?"

Amelia pursed her lips and looked at Arizona questioningly, not knowing what Sofia was saying and hoping the blonde would help her out. She was extremely proud that Sofia was being raised as a bilingual kid. It would certainly turn out to be useful when she'd grow up and it was such a culturally important part of her Latin-American legacy, but as of now, it still left Amelia struggling. She was getting better at it but Arizona was her to-go-to person when she was lost in translation.

"Do you like it?" Arizona discreetly mouthed, trying not to giggle at her partner's perplexed face.

"Thanks," she mouthed back before turning her attention back to their kid. "Do I like it? I love it! It's enormous though. How much time did you it take you guys to build all of this?"

"I dunno, most of the morning. And mommy said since it's so big and it took us so long, we get to keep it up for a few days."

"Thank you Mommy, you're the best," Amelia cued lovingly and kissed her girlfriend chastely on the lips.

Sofia finally walked out of the neurosurgeon's embrace and crawled back under the sea of hanging blankets, followed by the two adults.

"Wow, I can see you why it took you so much time."

Sofia's lights were hanging from the blanket ceiling with the help of a few chairs and strategically-placed safety pins. There were more pillows than the neurosurgeon could count. For a moment, she wondered if the girls had robbed a store because she wasn't even sure they owned _that_ many pillows. Arizona's laptop was set up into a corner, background noise filling up the cozy space.

"Mommy helped me put my lights up so it's not too dark and we took aaaaaaaall the pillows so it's like, a ball pool but with pillows," she accentuated her point by falling onto them carelessly with a loud huff. "But she said we can't have a pillow fight into the blanket fort porque we might make it crumble."

"Mommy's no fun," Amelia sent a teasing smirk to the blonde next to her.

"Oh, fuck off," Arizona whispered with a giggle so only Amelia could hear.

"And it's password protected so people who aren't invited can't come in."

"The password is Sofia's birthday," Arizona told her.

"Oh, so December fifth then?" she asked.

Sofia giggled. "You know that's not my cumpleaños Amelia!"

"Oh, you're right. This is Zola's birthday. Your's June twenty-sixth."

Sofia giggled even harder. "Stop being silly! I know you know when my cumpleaños is."

"Yes I do. May ninth. How could I ever forget the day my favorite stinking cute munchkin came to the world?"

The brunette extended her arms and gently tickled the little girl's feet, which earned her a chuckle.

"So what were you guys playing at?" she asked to Arizona.

"Who is it. Sofia won first round, this is our second."

"How about I play with you? Help you win?" she said sweetly as she tenderly squeezed the other woman's thigh.

"I could use a good luck charm. That alright with you Sof'?"

"Vale," she nodded and sat up crisscross in front of her game.

Arizona mirrored her daughter and sat in front of her set, where only a few faces were down. The neurosurgeon sat behind her with her legs on each side of the blonde's, she tucked her head onto her shoulder and wrapped her arms around her midsection, glad she could hold the woman she cared about close to her after a long shift.

"Okay, so does he have a hat?"

Eventually after two more games of who it is, they grew bored so they cleaned it up.

"What do you want to play to, sweetie?"

"Hum… I spy!"

"Okay, would you like to start?"

She eagerly nodded and lay down. "I spy with my little ojo… something blue."

Both women decided to do the same and lay down next to her. It wasn't as comfortable as a real bed but the outrageous amount of pillows there made it pretty okay.

"Is it some design on this blanket?" Arizona asked, her pointer finger showing the blanket right above hers and Amelia's heads.

"Nope."

"Is it some design on _that_ blanket then?" she tried again.

"No."

"This one?"

"Neither."

"What about that one?"

"Please Sof', tell us it's not a design on a blanket or a pillow 'cause we could be here all night otherwise," Amelia almost begged.

"I'm not giving you any hint," Sofia stuck her tongue out playfully.

"I wouldn't be so sure, honey. Mr Tickles can prove himself to be quite convincing," Arizona teased her and wiggled her fingers around.

"No! No tickles por favor! It's not on a blanket or a pillow, I swear."

Eventually Sofia won the first round. It turned out she had been spying the pastel blue carpet but since it had been littered with pillows and hence barely visible, both surgeons hadn't thought of it and had given up. It was currently Arizona's turn. After a few guesses, the brunette realized that Sofia wasn't participating anymore. She turned her head to look over, only to find Sofia sleeping with her mouth wide open. Her heart swelled inside her chest at how cute and peaceful she looked in this very moment.

"Arizona, look."

"I spy with my little eye one very tired princess," Arizona whispered, a relaxed smile forming on her mouth at the sight.

"And I spy with my little eye one very sore neck if she naps in here. I'll get her to bed."

She pecked her girlfriend before gently picking Sofia up and taking her to bed. She came back a few moments later and she popped her head inside the blanket fort.

"Would you be interested in a cup of coffee?"

"Pretty please?"

"Be back in two."

The neurosurgeon came back a few minutes later with a tray, two warm coffees and a few pieces of chocolate sitting on it.

"There we go."

Arizona carefully pushed a few pillows around so Amelia could lay the tray directly onto the floor. Sitting it on top of the pillows seemed like an accident waiting to happen.

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome," she replied as she sat next to her.

"You got us chocolate?" she asked with an eyebrow raised up, her tone surprised.

"I think we need more chocolate in our everyday life," Amelia shrugged. "Treat ourselves."

"We do," Arizona offered a piece to Amelia who happily opened her mouth to eat it and then took a piece for herself.

The blonde let the other woman settle down next to her before wrapping her arm around her shoulders. Amelia's body sank further into her side, happy to just chill with Arizona and watch the tiny bright colorful bricks of whatever game the pediatric surgeon was playing on her phone passing by. She moaned softly when Arizona started to run her fingers through her hair. Eventually, the blonde ran out of lives so she switched to her snapchat app instead.

"Uh, uh. No pictures. This lightning is terrible," Amelia complained.

"Yeah, like you could look anything less than amazing," Arizona said in an almost-bored tone and rolled her eyes. She pouted playfully, "Pretty please? For me?"

"Fine, but only because you know I can't resist your cute face," she complied grumpily.

Honestly, she didn't really mind. She loved taking pictures with her family. She didn't know exactly when it had started but she was slowly turning into that annoying person who was showing their kids' and family pictures to everyone willing to see, shoving her happiness straight into their faces. Arizona and Sofia were radiant, one would be crazy to _not_ want thousands of pictures of them.

"Yes! Thank you," she pecked her lips.

"I think that deserves a little more than a peck. I'm being extra-compliant here," she whined and made sad puppy eyes at the other woman.

"Come here, you dork," the blonde gently tugged at her shirt to pull her closer.

Plump lips melted against Amelia's tenderly as a hand cupped her cheek, slowly caressing the smooth skin back and forth with her thumb. Amelia gently grabbed the back of Arizona's neck to pull her even closer and sighed contently. The pediatric surgeon took advantage, her tongue slipping into her partner's mouth. She moaned quietly when she felt her lover respond to the kiss, the hand resting onto the back of her neck tightening its hold ever so slightly. Out of breath, Amelia pulled away.

"Better?"

"Definitely better," the brunette said, still in a daze.

They took their time, playing around with whatever filters Arizona wanted, doing silly faces as well as cute ones... After taking about one hundred pictures, the pediatric surgeon finally took what she thought was the perfect one.

"I think that's my new background picture right here."

"Can you send it to me? I love it."

"Of course," she quickly sent it and put her phone aside. The pediatric surgeon kissed her forehead and suggested, "Movie?"

"Documentary about flat earth society?" she asked back with a knowing smirk.

"Sure," the other woman chuckled, knowing exactly what Amelia was implying. "Why don't you go and change into your pajamas while I get the documentary ready?"

"Kay," she got up and cleaned up the tray.

Arizona grabbed her laptop and put it in the middle before re-arranging the pillows so they would be more comfortable. The brunette came back, finally dressed to relax. Arizona opened her arms widely with a warm smile. Amelia couldn't resist even if she tried and lay down, her body sinking into her partner's embrace.

"God, you feel so soft. Don't ever change."

The pediatric surgeon giggled and hugged her closer, "I promise. Ready?"

Arizona felt Amelia nod into the crook of her neck so she pressed play. Halfway through the documentary, Amelia's mind started to wander, too distracted by the affectionate lower back skin rubbing happening to focus on the screen anymore.

She looked up from her place onto the blonde's shoulder only to see her watching at the report. Her lips strolled onto her lover's jaw, peppering kisses as she worked her way up until she stumbled upon Arizona's ear. The loud intake of breath coming from her partner's lips let her know she was heading in the right direction so she carried on, lightly tugging onto the sensitive earlobe with a hint of teeth and soothing the small bite right after with her lips. She hummed onto the skin behind it and happily watched the shivers appear.

The hand on her lower back stilled just as a moan escaped the pediatric surgeon's throat, her bright blue eyes closing onto their own accords, which made Amelia smile proudly. Her grin was cut short however. Not missing a beat, Arizona tangled her hand into dark hair and roughly guided her mouth against hers, crashing them together desperately. Surprised, Amelia gasped and Arizona wasted no time in thrusting her tongue into her mouth. Amelia quickly caught up though, reciprocating the kiss with as much fervency and as much passion as the blonde was giving her.

In the blink of an eye, the blonde gently pushed the other woman onto her back and settled herself in between her legs. Arizona's right elbow landed next to Amelia's head for support while her other hand firmly grabbed the back of her right thigh and held it close to her hip. Every single inch of the blonde's upper body was pressing against hers, yet Amelia was craving more. She always wanted to feel more of Arizona. More skin, more soft whimpers, more out-of-breath I love you's…

Out of breath, they both broke the kiss. The pediatric surgeon's mouth strolled down her neck, sucking and biting every square inch of tender skin she was encountering. Amelia's hands hiked their way up under the other woman's top, her fingertips grazing along her spine, feeling every vertebra and every shiver as she went.

"You know, I never did it in a blanket fort," the neurosurgeon confided in a breathy tone, the familiar fire of lust and want slowly but surely growing inside her lower belly.

"There's a first time for everything," Arizona chuckled against her skin and placed one last kiss onto her neck before finding her partner's mouth once more.

The grip onto Amelia's thigh tightened and Arizona's curves pressed harder against hers as her hips leisurely rolled into her. Arizona could feel Amelia losing focus into their kisses as fingers were fumbling around with her bra, obviously struggling to get it off. She pulled away with a laugh, her eyes looking into her girlfriend's darkened ones.

"May I help you?" she asked with an amused smirk.

The brunette huffed in annoyance at her own clumsiness. "Fine."

Arizona sat up, the sudden lack of contact receiving a whine from Amelia. She discarded her pajama top, throwing it away carelessly to reveal the basic black undergarment she was wearing along pale silky skin. Amelia's eyes shamelessly stared at her chest, eager to witness the other woman's boobs finally spill out of their restrictive cups. When the pediatric surgeon's hand trailed up her belly and stopped in between her breasts with a smirk, Amelia thought she was in for a show. However Arizona snapped open her bra's front closure and suddenly, Amelia was filled with a feeling of utter betrayal as well as arousal.

"I fumbled around for like, two minutes and it was a front closure all along?" she said, her voice a pitch higher than usual and her tone appalled.

"I would have told you sooner but you were so damn determined," the blonde teased playfully and lay back on top of Amelia.

"Since when do we even own front closure bras?"

"We?" Arizona raised an eyebrow. "_We_ don't own anything. _I_ own front closure bras since I bought them yesterday."

"A little warning would have been nice."

"Promise to next time, ma'am. Now can we keep on making out or do you want to keep on complaining?" she pecked her lips.

"Oh please do. Do not let me distract you."

"You always distract me," the pediatric surgeon giggled and her lips flew to Amelia's pulse point, sucking at the flesh and letting it go just before it could leave a bruise. "You're so stunning, it's very hard to think straight with you around."

"Insert gay joke right here," Amelia kidded.

Her hands wandered up the blonde's sides until they reached their goal and cupped her finally-free boobs. Arizona nibbled not so gently at her skin in lieu of a verbal warning and her partner hissed in reply, her hips bucking and her hands squeezing her breasts. Arizona couldn't help but groan at the sudden but definitely appreciated caresses, she could feel her nipples growing hard into Amelia's palms and a warm wave of lust ran through her body.

"Shut up, you know what I meant."

"I know exactly what you meant. I get sidetracked by you all the time."

"Do you, now?"

"Yes," she answered as her fingers stroked and softly pulled at the pointy rosy buds, only satisfied with herself when Arizona leaned into the touch with an encouraging moan.

"What's the hottest thing about me?"

"Your smarty brain, duh. It's like crazy attractive."

Trust the neurosurgeon to find your brain attractive, Arizona thought. While it was kind of weird, it was also kind of cute. It felt incredibly gratifying to have one of the best neurosurgeons in the world complimenting her intellect, never mind saying it was sexiest thing about her. Amelia's words reverberated through her entire being and Arizona felt on top of the world right now, more turned on than she'd like to admit.

"I love you so damn much," she blurted out, almost like a reflex.

The brunette's eyes searched for hers and she took a few seconds to study her partner's face, to take in the perfectness that was Arizona Robbins. She cupped one of her cheek, with such delicacy Arizona almost felt like fine China under her girlfriend's fingertips.

"I'm in love with you too, Arizona," the sincerity in her voice and the honesty shining in her eyes left no place for uncertainty or distrust.

It was simply a fact. Like her name was Amelia, and they needed oxygen to breath, and the earth was round (or flat if the people they weren't listening to from the documentary playing in the background were right), and they were in love. Each statement was an undeniable truth.

The blonde's lips curled up into the widest smile the neurosurgeon had ever seen and Arizona turned her head to kiss her partner's palm. She then captured her lips into a searing kiss, her tongue delving right into Amelia's mouth as she tried her best to convey how she was feeling.

The pediatric surgeon's hand trailed down her neck until it reached her chest, squeezing a breast through her pajamas. Her hips thrust forward repetitively slow, not rocking forward enough for it to be satisfying for Amelia but still just enough to make her squirm and pant.

"How do you want me, honey?" Arizona asked, still a little out of breath from kissing.

"Fin-fingers please. I wan-nna look at your face when I-I come."

The blonde dropped a peck onto her lips and settled her own body close to the other woman's, half lying onto the pillows surrounding them, half lying onto the brunette. Her fingers played for a few moments with the elastic band around her hips, as if she was hesitating to give in to Amelia's request. The brunette rolled her hips, painfully aware that Arizona was dragging it out because she was enjoying watching her get all wet and bothered. Except it wasn't such a fun game to play anymore when she was already a dripping mess and aching for her lover's touch.

"Arizona, I-"

"Shhh, I'm going to take care of you, I promise," the pediatric surgeon cut her off and leaned in for a kiss.

Just as their lips crashed, Arizona's hand crawled in the small shorts, not even surprised by the lack of panties anymore. The other woman's hips rose higher at the intrusion, seeking as much of Arizona's touch as she could, and she broke the kiss off, a barely audible yet flustered groan escaping her.

"Mommies?"

Both women froze, the burning passion running through their veins turning cold in a split second. Arizona eventually let out a small chuckle and pecked her girlfriend's cheek before trying to find her pajama top among a sea of pillows.

Amelia whined, obviously disgruntled and needing a few seconds to slip back into mommy 'Melia mode and calming her raging hormones down.

"You're going to be alright?" the blonde asked tenderly, finally decent.

"Mommy? 'Melia?" this one was much more tentative, not quite scared but undoubtedly anxious at the lack of reply and little feet could be heard walking closer.

"Yeah. I'm definitely taking a rain check on that one though. BLANKET FORT HONEY!"

Little feet hurried against the ground and Sofia came in, her stuffed toy firmly tucked under her armpit.

"Hi princess. Did you have a good nap?" Arizona asked and opened her arms for her daughter who immediately melted into them.

"Si. What are you doin'?" the Latina asked as she rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes.

"We were just having some mommies' time baby," Arizona said ever so sweetly to their daughter with a warm smile.

"Is that what we're calling it now?" Amelia teased next to them, giving the pediatric surgeon a knowing smirk.

Arizona softly pushed her around with her foot with a chuckle. "Fuck off," she mouthed.

"You're watching a movie without me?"

"It's a documentary."

"Yuck. I don't wanna watch that." Sofia's nose scrunched up in disinterest and Arizona let out a giggle at her cuteness.

"What do you feel like doing Sof'?"

"Can we host a princess tea party?"

"I call dibs on Mulan!"


	33. KISS AND MAKE UP

**CHAPTER 33 – KISS AND MAKE UP**

Second to last chapter you guys :)

* * *

"Do you want kids?" Arizona calmly asked, seemingly out of nowhere as they were watching some re-run of a cooking TV show and chillaxing on their couch.

Amelia froze at the very much unexpected question and she made a conscious effort to not squeeze the other woman who was resting on top of her in surprise. Her blood ran cold and her heart started to thump alarmingly strongly in her chest. She silently prayed that Arizona wouldn't detect the change of pace. Amelia opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out, she was too socked and too overwhelmed to form any words so she closed it. A million thoughts abruptly invaded her mind while anxiety slowly crept up on her body.

The brunette thought about Christopher. She remembered this visceral maternal instinct – the very same she was feeling towards Sofia now – that had overtaken her body, giving her more strength and more courage than she had ever imagined she ever would have when he was born. But she couldn't ignore the way her heart would sink low in her ribcage and the way her stomach would knot, almost making her sick and leaving her with cravings and nightmares, as the heartache, grief and depression that had followed his birth also came back to the surface.

For a long time after his birth, she had thought she would never be able to move on from this representation of motherhood she had created, especially her own. Something that was as beautiful as it was painful.

And then, she had met Arizona and Sofia and her whole world had turned upside down. Before she even knew what was happening, Sofia was calling her mom and telling her she loved her. And so she grew to learn that she could still be a mother to Christopher and yet be a mother to another child too. That it was okay and that she had enough love in her to be able to do that. That loving Sofia didn't mean she loved Christopher any less.

But the question took her by surprise, she couldn't answer. She needed more time to articulate her thoughts, to tidy them up and to mentally prepare herself to have an honest and open conversation with her partner. So like a coward, she pretended to be asleep, hoping the blonde wouldn't catch on her lie. She felt terribly guilty to do so, but she couldn't see another escape.

"Sweetheart?"

At the lack of response, the pediatric surgeon looked up only to find the neurosurgeon sleeping. She couldn't fight the grin that unconsciously grew onto her lips at the adorable sight and she dropped a kiss onto the brunette's chest before cuddling back up into her safe embrace.

The very next day, Amelia cornered Derek into a scan room, looking disheveled and dead-tired.

"Oh, hello Amy," he greeted her warmly as she walked in.

"How did you and Meredith know you guys wanted more kids?" she asked him instead of replying.

He looked a little taken aback, his eyebrows raising so high that they almost disappeared into his hairline, but he knew better than question the weird interrogations his sister would ask him by now.

"We didn't? No really, at least. Mer and I were perfectly happy with Zola and then Bailey just kind of happened out of nowhere. Same for Ellis. They weren't planned but they were still happy surprises. When Meredith told me she was pregnant, I simply couldn't see myself without that child-to-be in our family. Why? Worried Robbins got you pregnant?" Derek joked and when Amelia didn't laugh along with him, he quickly regretted his small jab but was also suddenly much more inquisitive. "Wait, are you guys actually trying to-"

"We're not. Not yet at least," she muttered the last part under her breath, terrified and obviously anxious. "We were watching TV last night and out of nowhere she asked me if I wanted kids. Who drops a bomb like that?"

"What did you do?" Derek frowned, curious.

"I panicked of course! I pretended to be asleep. What was I supposed to say?" the brunette said, completely freaked out, her arms gesturing widely into empty space out of worry.

"Having a conversation with each other, like adults?" Derek suggested.

"I don't know what to tell her Derek," her tone was shameful and her fingers toyed with the hem of her scrub top nervously. "We're doing so perfect right now. I don't want to break what we have. What if I say the wrong thing and she wants to break up with me, Der?"

He gently placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Come on, give Robbins a little more credit than that."

"But what if? You know how much of a mess I am! I'm probably going to screw it up."

"Amy?" the neurosurgeon searched for his sister's eyes, the haziness filling them staring right back at him hopefully. "You've been together for over a year. Robbins knows you, all of you. She knows how much of a mess you can be sometimes and she still chooses to love your sorry ass every day. The only way for you to screw it up is by not being honest with her. So stop freaking out and talk to your girlfriend. I have an aneurysm to clip," he said firmly yet reassuringly and dropped a kiss onto her forehead before walking away, "You've got this sis'."

* * *

"I'M HOME!" the neurosurgeon yelled happily as she got home after a relatively light shift a few days later.

"I'M IN THE KITCHEN HONEY!" came back as a reply.

The brunette quickly discarded her shoes and coat and headed straight to the kitchen only to find the other woman cooking.

"It smells awfully good in there, what are you doing?"

"Lasagnas," the blonde looked up from cutting up some tomatoes and when her eyes fell onto her partner, she had to remind herself to be careful to not cut her hands with the knife she was currently holding.

Amelia was standing next to her now, flowers in her hands and a shy grin onto her lips. The blonde's heart fluttered in her chest and she couldn't control the huge grin that took over half of her face. She rapidly racked her brain, praying she hadn't forgotten something important. She put the knife down and she looped her arms around the neurosurgeon's neck, kissing her good evening as well as thank you.

"Those are beautiful, thank you so much," she kissed her sweetly. "Today's not our anniversary, right?" she asked, an eyebrow raised in doubt.

"Nope," the brunette put the flowers down next to them on the counter and she snaked her arms around the other woman's midsection, tenderly rubbing her lower back in order to calm her own nerves down.

"What's the occasion?"

"Do I need a reason to treat my girl right?" Amelia teased with a smirk.

"That's so gay," the blonde chuckled and pecked her. "Thanks. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry, I suck at flowers though. What kind are they?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked," she bit her lower lip, hoping that Arizona wouldn't notice her nervousness. "Those are some really special flowers actually."

The pediatric surgeon looked at the flowers and then back at Amelia doubtfully. Amelia's shoulders tensed up under her forearms and the back rubbing stopped. Something was definitely up so the blonde went along.

"Really?"

"Yes. They're I-want-to-have-kids-with-you-flowers."

The utter astonishment yet overjoyed look that appeared onto Arizona's face comforted Amelia into the idea that she had made to right decision and giant butterflies erupted into the pit of her stomach.

"I-I'm sorry. W-what?"

The brunette let out a big sigh, bracing herself to deliver the speech she had been rehearsing over and over again for the last few days now. She let a deep breath out, willing her shoulders to relax and her heart to stop racing.

"I heard you? Like a week ago when we were watching that bake off that we had tevo-ed and you remember that I fell asleep, right?"

"I-yes."

"I faked that, I'm so sorry. We were having a quiet night in and out of nowhere, you popped this kid question. I-I completely froze, I didn't know what to say. So I faked sleeping so I could escape and have some time to think about it, I truly am sorry. I totally understand if you're mad at me."

As annoyed and angry as Arizona felt that the other woman had lie to her, she tried to put her feelings aside, knowing it was a sensitive subject and understanding where she was coming from. She knew how hard it was for Amelia to come clean about this and could see how much bravery it took from her. Moreover, fighting would lead absolutely nowhere so she swallowed back her irritation. Instead, the pediatric surgeon wanted to encourage her to verbalize her insecurities on the matter so her hand traveled around her neck, her thumb softly rubbing the smooth skin and she smiled lovingly yet tentatively to prove to Amelia that she wasn't going anywhere.

"And?"

Amelia was thankful that Arizona didn't seem as mad as she had anticipated but she still felt extremely guilty. "I-I needed time and space to process. I'm sorry."

"Don't beat yourself up, okay baby? To be honest, I'm infuriated and kinda want to punch you in the face but I can understand why you did it. I'm just glad you're telling me the truth now. Why, though? You knew I didn't expect an immediate yes or no answer. I wasn't asking for another kid right there and then. I just wanted to have an open conversation with you about it."

"I got scared. And I'm sorry that I faked sleepin' but you dropped that kid bomb on me like you were asking me the weather forecast for the next day. And I needed time to wrap my mind around it, to figure out what I wanted and what I didn't. When I first found out I was pregnant with Christopher, it was the greatest day of my life. I felt like I was invincible, you know? But then, I found out he didn't have a brain and I had to go through nine months of pregnancy and giving birth and it broke a part of me. I know it was my choice, I could have had an abortion but _I chose_ not to. And yet it broke me just the same. I had the most beautiful son but then he had to go away, and a little part of me died with him that day," she tried her best to stop the tears that always came whenever she was talking about her son. "My pregnancy saved me from my addictions but it almost destroyed me too. And I remember thinking "if it's what it means to be a mom, then I never want to be one again." It might be wonderful but the pain is just too much. And then Sofia came into my life. That perfect sweet little girl. And she has grown on me so much, and then our relationship grew and I became her mom, which I never thought would ever happen in a million years. I-I don't want a baby. I don't want to go through pregnancy because it's too traumatic for me. I can't go through it again. Through all the questions and the constant worry and the birth… I just can't. And I know you lost your baby too and that you don't want to try to get pregnant again either.

But do I want to have more kids with you? Yeah. I want lots and lots of kids with you that we will raise with kindness and care and so much love. They'll be as delightful and as perky as their mommy and also a bit dorky, just like me. They'll leave their stuff absolutely everywhere on the floor and I'll have to restrain myself from strangling them when I'll step onto a lego brick. Our sex life will be terrible because the kids will take turns each night to sleep in our bed. They'll get that same sparkle you and Sofia have into your eyes when you see something really pretty. And when I'll hug them, I'll never want to let them go because they'll smell like warmth and childhood and brownies. And there will be some chickens too. Sofia will hate them so much because they'll be loud as fuck so she'll never be able to have a late morning in. That, this picture, I want it. I can't give you a baby, but that I can offer to you, if you want it too. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out."

"Gosh Amelia! How long have you been preparing this speech?" Arizona said, her eyes shining with unshed tears of happiness and she hugged the other woman with all her might, burying her head into the crook of Amelia's neck. Her heart was beating so fast at this point that it was a miracle she hadn't fainted yet. "You can't drop that much feelings on me all at once."

"Do you want to have kids with me?" Amelia asked, needing to hear the words out loud, to hear Arizona say it so she would know she wasn't dreaming.

"Yes, of course. I want all of this. The perky and the loud and the legos and the brownies. I want all of that with you," Arizona's grip tightened around her midsection. "I love you so much," she mumbled out, still a little awestruck by all the love and sincerity the neurosurgeon had just demonstrated towards her.

"If you could love me just a tiny bit less though so I could breathe sweetheart, it'd be awesome," Amelia suggested playfully.

"Right, sorry," the blonde loosened her grip but kept her lover close to her. "I love you so much, you know that right?" she asked as she put a brunette lock back behind her ear.

"A terrible decision, really," the neurosurgeon joked and her thumb gently pushed away the happy tears that were staining her lover's cheeks. "I love you too," she murmured and pulled the blonde into a searing kiss.

"I love you more," Arizona teased as she pulled away.

"No, I love you more."

"Not possible, I love you the most."

"I love you mostest then," Amelia said childishly with a goofy smile.

"Dork," Arizona laughed at the terrible joke, fighting a roll of eyes, and for a few moments, she couldn't believe she had the luck to call that perfect human being hers. "In that case then, I love you the mostestest."

Just as the neurosurgeon was about to reply, a weird smell tickled her nose and her eyebrows furrowed, "Is it me or does it smells like something is burning?"

"Oh fuck, the lasagnas!"

* * *

Barely had Amelia shut the front door close, she heard Arizona's alarm blaring from their bedroom. She dumped her keys carelessly into the tiny bowl resting on top of the chest of drawers as she toed off her running shoes. She glanced at her phone to see the time, and sure enough, she was right on time to witness the natural beauty that was Arizona Robbins waking up from deep slumber. She walked half-heatedly towards the source of the noise, her sock-clad feet melodically shuffling against the wooden floor with each step she was taking. She leaned against the doorframe and watched in awe the sleepy blonde coming to life.

Arizona snoozed the offensive alarm off blindly, her arm patting around to find the electronic device so she wouldn't have to open her eyes just yet and gain a few extra seconds away from reality. She wiggled back under the warm sheets with a dejected sigh and hugged her pillow closer so she could bury her face deeper into the lavender-scented soft cotton. Amelia felt her heart skip a beat, maybe even two, at the utterly adorable sight of the blonde's sleepy behavior.

"Good morning there," she cued in a whisper as to not scare the blonde or wake her up too harshly.

Arizona pushed one of the corners of the pillow away and poked one drowsy blue eye open. She searched around the room for a humanoid form in the obscurity and smiled when she saw a sweaty Amelia leaning against the doorframe. The natural light emanating from the corridor was giving her a mystical glow, framing her every curves in a very aesthetically pleasing way that made Arizona suddenly long for her lover's touch as arousal manifested itself in her nether region. The fact that the brunette was so lightly clad, her sport clothes sticking to her glistening skin, only made the matter worst. The natural light accentuated the defined muscles with the neurosurgeon's every moves, her body turning into one giant and mesmerizing piece of art thanks to the light and shadow effects. Arizona wouldn't be able to tear her eyes from her lover if she tried.

"Morning," she replied with a lazy smile, her voice still thick and raspy. She patted the empty space next to her on the bed, silently inviting the other woman closer. "You look incredibly hot."

Amelia chuckled as she connected her phone to the sound system and set it on low volume. She turned the bedside lamp on and sat at the edge of the bed. "Thank you honey. You look pretty cute yourself."

"I sometimes forget how sturdy you are under the shapeless blue scrubs," she admitted while her eyes shamelessly roamed over her girlfriend's body.

"Well, the leg muscles would be from kicking too much asses and the arms muscles would be from fucking you into oblivion every occasion I get," Amelia joked, a teasing glint dancing into her dark blue eyes.

"Shut up!" Arizona replied faking hurt, but the smile on her lips told Amelia she really wasn't.

"You like?" Amelia got up and put one foot onto the bed and put her arms on each side of her body, into a very body-builder-like position. She flexed all her muscles at the same time and wiggled her eyebrows playfully at the blonde.

"Dork," Arizona chuckled and grabbed the neurosurgeon's knee which made her loose her balance.

She yelped as she clumsily fell on the bed and she shrieked out, "No damaging the world class neurosurgeon please!"

"Noted," the pediatric surgeon sat up and the brunette moved around so she could lay her head onto her thighs.

Talented fingers came to smooth down the sweaty and untidy dark hair and after a few unsuccessful attempts, they eventually settled to stroke her temple instead. Amelia moaned contently at the soothing touch and sank a little further into the bed, finally her body to rest and relax.

"How many miles today?"

"Ten."

Arizona looked at her impressed, both eyebrows raised up. "That much?"

"Woke up extra early and couldn't go back to sleep for the life of me."

This time, the blonde looked intrigued yet worried. The fingers stilled onto her skin, coming to a halt as Arizona's heartbeat slightly increased. The pediatric surgeon's mind was already contemplating the worst scenarios, running at a mile a minute. She hoped she was wrong and that Amelia didn't have to go through a nightmare or a panic attack without her waking up.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I promise," she said reassuringly. She tilted her head to the side and dropped a kiss onto Arizona's belly before resuming to her previous position. The fingers threaded once again into her dark mane. "I did go to bed extra early yesterday and I had a great night of sleep," she tried to explain with a nonchalant shrug, not really knowing why she had woken up so early herself. "So I got up and did some ironing while watching cartoons but I got bored of Totally Spies after only two episodes so I finished ironing and went for a run. I thought the fresh air might do me some good."

"It definitely did. You look radiant. Even a little Wonder Woman-y if I may."

Amelia smiled at her proudly. "Good, I love Diana."

"Oh, I see how it is. Diana, isn't it? Is it a crush that I detect here?" the blonde teased.

Amelia raised an eyebrow at her, unimpressed by the teasing. "Have you seen her? She's incredibly strong and she uses her strength to literally beat Nazis up, she has abilities beyond mortals, her weapon of choice is the freaking lasso of Truth, she's crazy attractive, she's a bisexual icon… I would be insane to _not_ have a crush on her. And that's without mentioning her iconic fights, she…"

Arizona watched the sparkles coming alive into her partner's eyes as she launched into a lengthy monologue of, from what Arizona was understanding, Wonder Woman's most epic battles. Her attitude exuded chilled and carefree, her features moving with fervor and passion with each new development in her story.

The brunette stopped her speech suddenly and, at first, Arizona wasn't certain what had spurred such an abrupt reaction. The blonde got her reply rather quickly however when Amelia leaped out of the bed to dance with a smile etched on her lips.

The pediatric surgeon quirked an eyebrow up, watching with a hint of amusement and disbelief as her girlfriend rocked the room. The brunette was jumping up and down to her own rhythm, her head was moving right and left on its own accord making her hair trapped into her ponytail shake wildly around her still reddened-from-effort face, her delicate lips whispering out every lyrics with expertise. Noticing the lack of the other woman by her side, she stopped and gave her girlfriend an inquisitive look.

"Come on!" she motioned towards her excitedly.

"And do what exactly?"

"Dance!"

"Oh, that's what it was," Arizona teased. "I thought you were being exorcised or something, thank fuck."

Amelia threw a pillow at her playfully and took both of her hands into hers, softly pulling her into a sitting position on the edge of the bed.

"You know you want to," she flirted easily. "Come on, baaaaaaaaaaaaabe."

Arizona shook her head dismissively but wrapped her hands behind Amelia's neck nonetheless so she could help her up. And dance they did. They danced like lunatics. They took way too much space and they were silly and ridiculous and uncoordinated and loud and to an outsider's eyes, it probably wouldn't even qualify as dancing but they didn't care. They were being _them_. Free of any inhibitions and any rules.

Eventually, the song came to its end and the two women found themselves slow dancing, so engrossed by each other they hardly noticed the silence now surrounding them.

"I love you so much, I never want you to stop being happy," the brunette whispered out.

Arizona felt her heart tightening inside her chest. This was exactly what had made her fall in love with Amelia in the first place. The spontaneity, the selflessness, the truthfulness, the vulnerability… all the pieces were there. Her hands came up behind the brunette's head and pulled her closer, until plump lips met her burning and aching ones. She softly swept her tongue against the bottom lip and the neurosurgeon granted her access. Her warm tongue came out to meet Amelia's eagerly, impatient to share what she was feeling. Hands readjusted their grips onto her thighs and buttocks, pulling the blonde even closer until their fronts were glued together into one big unidentifiable mess. Arizona finally pulled out only when her lungs were screaming for air.

"I love you too, Amelia. I hope you be the happiest," she whispered back, her voice imprinted with vulnerability and honesty as she put a wild dark lock where it belonged, right behind Amelia's ear.

Amelia smiled at her as warmth spread onto her cheeks and down her neck, coloring them into the softest shade of red. Humility rushed over her, she felt like she didn't deserve the blonde. Didn't deserve her sweetness, her care, her endless love and her altruism. But apparently, for some reasons, Arizona thought she did. She saw something into Amelia's broken self and still decided that she was willing to try to build something meaningful with her. That she was worth the effort. Their relationship had demanded hard work to get to where it was today, both women had been deeply heartbroken and hurt in their respective past. But Arizona had been willing to take that leap of faith right alongside with her, supportively holding her hand at each new step forward they had taken in their relationship.

That woman was so out of her league, and yet, Arizona was in love with her and they only wished the same thing for one another: happiness. The neurosurgeon bowed her head down to hide her watering eyes, she held her unshed tears back in by biting onto her lower lip in order to distract herself from the overwhelming and frightening feeling that she was hosting in her chest right now.

It hurt because she had only ever felt this way once before and it had been with Ryan. And she had lost everything in that relationship, even herself. And the neurosurgeon wasn't stupid, she knew her relationship with Ryan and with Arizona were totally different, they were nothing alike.

The pediatric surgeon and her had taken their time knowing each other instead of heading straight into a relationship like she had had with Ryan, no drugs were involved, she had a kid to look out for which was pushing her everyday to not fuck things up, where drugs and alcohol had been used to numb the pain away were now open and deeply honest conversations instead…

She knew it was different but the love she felt, searing her heart tight into her ribcage, felt just as strong and it was frightening because she feared the moment when it was all going to be ripped away from her. The moment when the two things that meant the absolute world to her would fade away. Just like Ryan and her baby had been ripped away from her prematurely. That no matter how hard she would try to catch Sofia and Arizona for one more second of internal bliss, she would fail and instead the painful and agonizing void of numbness would come back. That feeling that made her feel breathless, even though she was breathing perfectly fine, and like a new part of her was dying every minute she was alive.

She felt a tear roll down her left cheek and angrily wiped it, furious at herself for letting her insecurities show in such a weak way.

Arizona wrapped two strong arms around her shoulders without Amelia needing to say anything and she was pulled into a protective and comforting hug. It only made her cry more, her emotions manifesting only through her tears. Amelia hid her face into the crook of her lover's neck, feeling too fragile to look up at Arizona's face. Like Arizona would see every emotional scar she had only by looking into her eyes and would run away once she would get a peek at her issues. So instead, she buried herself under honey blonde hair and took in the barely-there flowery smell as she hugged her tighter, not living an inch of air in between them. Too afraid that if she let go, the blonde would float away like a lost balloon. The pediatric surgeon kept on whispering sweet nothings into her ear with a softness only a handful of people Amelia had ever witnessed to have. The familiar contact, the blonde's gentleness and the faint smell did their tricks and after a few minutes, Amelia's tears stopped, her breathing coming back to normal.

A kiss was placed on her temple. "You alright?" the blonde murmured.

Amelia could feel the pink lips brushing her skin, gently tickling it. Not trusting her voice yet, she simply nodded.

"Gosh, I'm such a mess," she said after a few moments, her voice still fragile.

"A cute one though," Arizona said playfully before adding much more seriously, "You're just human Amelia. Having emotions, good or bad, and your way of expressing them with such courage and passion is one of the things that made me fall in love with you. You wear your heart on your sleeve and it somehow makes you stronger than most. So don't you ever dare hide your feelings from me."

The brunette's confidence increased back up and she felt the corners of her mouth twist up into a small timid smile. She tried to hide it by looking down, her heart beating in her ears and her whole cardio-vascular system spiking up. She didn't have the words to describe how it felt to hear this. Her girlfriend tilted her head up by pushing up her chin and luminous cyan eyes met hers.

"Will you ever stop being so loving and adorable?" she said playfully in order to diffuse her internal tension.

Arizona smiled widely at her and kissed her sweetly. "Never. Not as long as you're being so loving and adorable towards me either."

Amelia's good-humor surfaced back, her feelings were finally back in check which made her feel a little relieved. "I'mma hop in the shower real quick because I'm pretty disgusting and you're going to make me pancakes!" she pecked her as her hand squeezed an ass cheek before detaching herself totally from the blonde, delicately sitting her back down onto the bed.

The brunette handed her her crutches and Arizona got up, now totally awake.

"Oh, _I'm_ going to make _you_ pancakes?" the pediatric surgeon inquired with an eyebrow raised while her lover was fumbling around in their chest of drawers for some clothes.

She decided to play along. Amelia obviously wasn't feeling the most comfortable after showing her sensitive side this morning, and as long as she was okay, there was no need to push it.

"Yeah, duh," Amelia said in the most obvious tone she could muster. "I just ran ten miles this morning, I'm tired and I'm hungry. I could eat a horse!"

On that note, the brunette neighed, pretty badly if you asked the blonde, and noisily galloped her way to the bathroom as if she was indeed a horse.

"Gosh, you're such a-"

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY I'M DORK AGAIN!" Amelia yelled from inside the bathroom.

"I WAS GONNA SAY CHILD!" Arizona yelled back.

God, not a day passed by where Amelia's attitude failed to bring a smile on her face.

"YOU BETTER HAVE BEEN!"


	34. TRUE LOVE AVENUE

**TRUE LOVE AVENUE**

"So, which one of you wants to foster me?" Anthony asked almost nonchalantly, his black eyes examining the two women sitting in front of him.

Though Arizona and Amelia knew that the African American teenager was no older than fifteen years old, he seemed a lot older. Probably due to the fact that he was already six feet and-then-some-more-inches tall and that living in foster care generally toughened the kids up, forcing them to grow up and to be independent before they were really supposed to. Anthony was dressed very simply, a plain black tee-shirt and some jeans but both surgeons could easily guess that he was quite muscular underneath his clothes.

The neurosurgeon looked at the blonde sitting beside her and Arizona could feel the nervousness radiating off of her, Amelia's twitchy and barely-there smile only confirming her suspicions. She softly grabbed her hand and gave it a tender squeeze, hoping to help her calm her nerves down but also to stop her from toying with her fingers. Arizona looked back at Anthony with a warm smile.

"Both of us, actually," she gently said. "Amelia and I have been married for a little under a year."

"Oh, alright. Sorry," he said apologetically and nervously chuckled. "It's been a while since I last met with anyone willing to foster me so I kind of zoned out after my social worker said she had people to introduce to me. Thought you guys were sisters or something."

"It's alright, we're nervous too," Arizona confessed in hope that it would make him feel more at ease knowing they were feeling the same way. "You're the first teenager we're meeting with."

"You-you chose to meet with _me_? Out of all the choices you had?" Anthony asked doubtfully, frowning deeply at them.

"I-well, uh… yes. You seem a little shocked?" Amelia frowned too, not sure why Anthony was looking so surprised.

"Yeah. Kinda," he shrugged uncomfortably. "I mean, why would you guys want to foster a teenager when you could just adopt a cute little baby?"

Both women had been expecting Anthony to have some questions for them, it would have been a little foolish of them not to. They just hadn't expected for it to get this serious and this emotional that soon after meeting him for the first time. Arizona squeezed her wife's hand, bringing the both of them some much needed strength.

"In the interest of full disclosure, Amelia and I already have a kid. Her name's Sofia and she's about to turn twelve in a two months so, you know, she's full on teenager right now. We've always wanted to have more kids and we both had hum, pretty traumatic experiences with pregnancies and babies one could say I guess."

"When we registered to foster and maybe adopt, it really was a no brainer for us to ask for older kids," Amelia completed. "We're not looking to be your parents. I mean, come on, you're already fifteen. You don't need us to sing you to sleep or to help you with your multiplication tables. What you need is for someone to provide you a stable environment where you feel secure and cared for so you can reach your full potential and become a well-balanced man and an active member of society. And we wanted to meet up with you because Emily thought you and us could be a good match. Not going to lie though, I think she has a soft spot for you. She wouldn't stop praising you. "And he's tall, my god that young man is beautifully tall. Would make a fantastic basket-ball player", "so kind, you should see him with the younger children at the group home. He probably has the patience of the saint," "Anthony is the only teenager that I know of who cleans up after himself. Never even seen a tee-shirt littering the bedroom floor or any dust in no corner,""Amelia playfully imitated the social worker.

Typical Emily, Anthony thought with a bemused smile at the anecdote. She was a fairly old lady, probably in her mid-sixties, no doubt towards the end of her career. She had been handling Anthony's case for the last five years now and after countless hours passed together, her cheerful attitude, her bad jokes and her outspokenness had kind of grown on him. With her retirement around the corner, she had made it her personal mission to find a family willing to foster Anthony for the long run before kissing her career goodbye.

Anthony seemed to ponder their answer for a while, as if trying to grasp what the hell was wrong with the couple sitting in front of him. Both white ladies, around their forties. They didn't reek of alcohol, their eyes were clear, they weren't scratching all over the place which meant they probably weren't junkies. They were dressed rather casually, their piece of jewelry were scarce – only wearing their wedding bands and some earrings from what he could see. They weren't screaming rich as fuck but it was crystal clear that the couple was earning far more money than a lot of his previous foster families.

Their little hand-holding, their slight nervousness, their hint of sadness when the blonde had evoked babies, their anxious smiles… Everything about Amelia and Arizona seemed _genuine_. Which in itself was honestly a little scary. Foster families weren't inherently all bad, but they were very rarely _this_ nice without any reasons.

He pursed his lips and eventually said, "You do know I'm diabetic, right?"

"We know. It's written in your file and Emily told us. Probably a dozen times," Arizona joked.

"I'm type one. I need insulin. Like, every day. It's costly."

"We get why it might potentially make other people hesitant to foster you, but Arizona and I both have stable jobs, it's not an issue for us."

"What is it that you do?"

"Arizona's a pediatric surgeon," Amelia announced with a proud smile. "And I'm a neurosurgeon."

Eventually, both parties started to loosen up and conversation flowed a lot more easily. It didn't take them long to figure out that Anthony was a real sweetheart who wore his heart on his sleeve. He liked to play video games, Zelda being his favorite. He had one hell of a contagious laugh. He liked to bake but he didn't feel like he was very good at it since he didn't have a lot of practice. Given the right tools and some down time in the kitchen, Arizona and Amelia were sure he could improve though. His go-to specialty was pumpkin pie and they couldn't yet to taste it. He didn't really know what he wanted to do yet once he was older, but he would like to work in the computer-science industry, a computer system analyst or something like that. He even asked them a few questions about Sofia. Both surgeons were quite impressed by his maturity and his over-all politeness once they had finally gotten past the weird tip-toeing-around-each-other stage.

"We're sorry but we have to go. We start work in less than an hour."

Anthony glanced at the clock adorning the wall and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he saw how much time had passed. They had been chatting for almost two hours straight.

"We would really like to see you again, Anthony. Maybe we could arrange another meeting if you're interested? To get to know each other a little better? Maybe at a park or somewhere else more neutral than here?" Amelia suggested with a tight and anxious smile.

Anthony felt a little dumbfounded. Sure, he had secretly hoped that this first meeting would go well but after so many disastrous ones over the years, he had learned the hard way to not get his hopes up. So it was definitely a nice surprise.

"You don't have to say yes or no right now, of course. We get that we only met each other a few hours ago. Take your time to think it over," Arizona added calmly with a re-assuring smile.

"Yeah, 'cause I've got a long line of people waiting to foster me," Anthony said sarcastically with a wave of his hand.

Anthony closed the door behind them and weirdly enough, he found himself actually looking forward to see those two sweet white ladies again.

"So, this is your room," Arizona said kindly as all three of them stepped into the bedroom.

The walls were painted a light taupe color, dark grey sheets draped over the queen-sized bed and a boringly classic desk was tucked into a far away corner. Anthony looked around, an unreadable look on his face as he slowly walked in further, taking every inch in.

"Sorry, we know it's a little bare and un-personal right now. We wanted the space to be yours as much as possible and this way, you get to choose how you want to decorate it. We'll go shop for new furniture when you'll know what kind of stuff you want and we can even repaint if you wish."

Anthony looked at them a little confused, his eyebrow furrowing ever so slightly. "I get to choose?"

"Well, yes. It's _your_ room, you're probably going to spend a decent amount of time in there. It should feel homey and comfy," Amelia replied with a kind smile. "You can check out Sofia's room for inspiration if you want to. We re-did it last year, she had grown a little tired of the green everything she enjoyed so much when she was little. She said it was okay."

"I-uh, thanks."

Anthony wasn't even sure how long he was going to stay here. At least, the fact that Amelia and Arizona wanted him to feel comfortable in their house meant they were serious about fostering him. While it made the African-American teenager feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity of some stability, it felt strange. Strange to have two people suddenly so eager to know everything about him. Sure, they had met quite a few times before he had decided that he was okay with them fostering him, but meeting with people a few hours a week and living with them were two totally different things.

"You're welcome. We'll let you get settle in while we prepare lunch. Is there anything you don't like or that you're allergic to?" Amelia asked.

"I-it's okay, you don't have to. I can cook for myself," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Do- do you usually cook for yourself?" Arizona asked, her heart breaking a little inside her chest.

It was good that Anthony knew how to provide for himself, but she wished he didn't feel like he had to.

"Depends on the homes I'm in, but most of the time, yeah. I really don't mind."

"You don't have to do that here. Unless you really want to but we're more than okay cooking for all of us. You're barely fifteen, we don't expect you to cook for yourself. You're welcome to give a hand though if you want."

"I-Thanks. And no, I'm not allergic to anything."

"You don't have to thank us every time, Anthony," Arizona said with a soft smile.

They were in the middle of eating lunch when Amelia's phone loudly rang. She took her phone out of her pocket, Derek's name illuminating the screen and she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Derek," she said pointedly to Arizona and let out a heavy sigh.

The pediatric surgeon chuckled. "Of course he's already calling. It's been less than two hours."

"I'll be right back," she said to Anthony and Arizona before stepping a few feet away. "What's up, Der'?"

Arizona could see the confused look adorning the African-American's face. He looked like he wanted to ask a million questions but didn't dare to do so.

"Derek is Amelia's brother. They're very close. He was absolutely ecstatic when we told him we were going to foster you and he wanted to meet you immediately. He even tried to tag along with us this morning to bring you home. We had to kindly remind him that it might be a little bit too soon to suffocate you with family-members-yet-total-strangers-to-you, not matter how well-intentioned he is," the blonde chuckled.

"What? No Derek, you can't come! Why? Because it's not even been a couple of hours! Give him a little breathing room! Oh my God, yes I'll tell him if you promise to not call anymore," they heard Amelia let out a tired groan. Eventually, after a few more moments, Amelia sat back next to the blonde and her hand found its place onto Arizona's thigh. "My brother says hello and welcomes you to the family."

"I'd like to say that it's the last weird phone call we're going to receive today but I'm sure April, Owen and my parents are going to call too," Arizona apologized to Anthony.

"We're sorry. Our relatives were extremely happy at the prospect of us fostering and the bureaucracy took forever so when the judge called to say we were approved, everyone got a little crazy. Never mind when we told them about you moving in, they went completely nuts."

Anthony chuckled happily. "It's the first time a family's so excited to foster me, so I guess that's cool."

* * *

"Arizona and I are going to watch some TV in the living room, you're welcome to join us if you want. Not that we expect you to! You can stay in your room if you want to. We know a lot happened today, we really won't hold it against you if you want some alone time and just relax in here," Amelia said from Anthony's doorway.

"I-… Okay, thanks."

"What did we say about thanking us?" Amelia teased him playfully.

"I-yeah, sorry. It's going to take a while."

"It's okay, Anthony."

Arizona and Amelia were cuddling on the couch under a blanket, half watching TV, half trash-talking whatever was happening on the screen. Just when they thought Anthony wasn't going to join them, they heard footsteps shuffling down the staircase. They both looked over the back of the couch, encouraging and hopefully-not-too-creepy smiles on their faces.

"Is it okay if I sit?" he asked, trying to sound confident but both women could hear the shyness in his voice.

They pretended to not hear it.

"Of course," Arizona said reassuringly. "Sit wherever you like."

The teenager looked around and finally took Sofia's usual spot onto the other end of the couch. Not too far away from them but still letting a respectable distance in between them. He saw crutches lay down onto the floor next to coffee table and frowned.

"What are those for?" he frowned, motioning to them with his chin.

Suddenly, it downed on them that Anthony _didn't know_ about Arizona's disability. It had never come up in previous conversations and honestly, everybody in their family and their group of friends knew so it had become the new normal for them. Sure, Arizona still had a few bad days or some nightmares here and there, but she rarely thought twice about her left leg nowadays. She had made peace with her body a long time ago. The pediatric surgeon hoped Anthony wouldn't be too weirded out by it. She was pretty sure he was going to have a few questions though, so she prepared mentally and emotionally and took a deep breath in. Amelia looked at with nothing but tenderness filling her eyes and she squeezed her hand in support.

"Oh, right. I was involved in a plane crash a few years ago and my left leg was injured. They tried their hardest to save it but it was badly infected and eventually it came to the point where it was either amputating my leg or me dying. I have my prosthetic for everyday use but, when I'm at home and don't have big plans, I usually take it off. Is that alright with you? Does it make you uncomfortable? I can put it back on."

Anthony shrugged nonchalantly. "No, it's alright. I don't mind. So what are you guys watching?"

It took a few moments for Arizona to catch up with the fact that Anthony didn't seem to give a damn about her leg. She hadn't known what to expect, but she had expected a reaction, bad or good, so the lack of one threw her off. No weird remark, no question, no side-glance toward her limb…

Eventually, she decided not to overthink it and cleared her throat before replying, "British bake off. What do you like to watch?"

"I like british bake off."

They half watched, half talked during the TV show, mostly making small talk. After a while, Anthony noticed that Arizona really wasn't talking anymore. He looked over at the couple and it turned out that the blonde had fallen asleep, her head cradled into the crook of Amelia's neck.

"She was very tired. She barely slept last night because she was too excited for today."

Anthony's heart swooned inside his chest at this fact and he could feel his cheeks getting hot. He silently thanked his black skin for hiding his blush. What he wasn't able to hide from Amelia though, was the wide and toothy smile that overtook the lower half of his face and the glint of elation illuminating his big and beautiful black eyes. Amelia couldn't help but smile back at him with as much enthusiasm, if not more, as fulfillment and affection loomed from the bottom of her heart.

* * *

"Hey, I'm going for a jog but if you need anything, Arizona's doing some ironing in the living room," Amelia informed Anthony.

Anthony lifted his eyes up from his laptop to take a look at the brunette standing in the doorway of his bedroom. Sure enough, she was dressed looking ready to go for a run, her hair tucked away from her face in a ponytail.

"You jog?"

"I sure do."

"Do you, hum, do you mind if I tag along?"

Arizona and Amelia had showed him around the district, like his new school, the skate park, the movie theater… but also the places that held a special place in their hearts like Sofia's favorite ice cream shop or the bowling place they had had their very first date at or the park where Bailey, seven years old at the time and filled with nothing but pure mischief, had scared his aunt half to death. Startled, the brunette had jumped away from him and her left foot had unfortunately gotten caught in a root. She had stumbled forward and had tried her best to course-correct and to straighten herself up but she hadn't been successful and eventually had ended falling down, face-planting straight into an about-four-years-old kid's sandcastle. Thankfully, she hadn't broken anything but the neurosurgeon had found sand in her ears for four days straight after the accident. Anthony had had to bite down the inside of his cheeks to not belt out a laugh as Arizona had humorously reenacted her wife's fall the first time they had gone to this specific park.

Anthony had done some exploring around on his own as well, and he figured a run was a good way to discover more of the new neighborhood he was now living in. Plus, he could use a good sport session.

Amelia was a little surprised by the request but welcomed it anyway. As long as she was passing time with Anthony, she was having a good time. "Ye-yeah! Of course. I'll wait for you downstairs."

A little over an hour later, they were back home. The pediatric surgeon found her wife looking like she had just run a marathon. Sweat was coating her forehead, her cheeks were reddened from effort, her ponytail was slightly disheveled and her breath was loud and uneven. She rarely had the chance to witness Amelia coming back from her jog and god, what a sight it was. Arizona couldn't help but feel a little turned on. The small drop of sweat oh-ever-so-slowly running down Amelia's chest did nothing to help the feeling. Arizona averted her eyes before her mind could wander any further and they strolled onto the teenager standing next to Amelia instead. Anthony, on the other hand, looked like he had barely broken a sweat. Sure his breath was a little harsher than usual, but that was about it.

Amelia bee-lined straight to the kitchen and splashed some fresh water onto her face, a groan of relief escaping her throat as she did so.

"Are you alright?" Arizona asked and got up from the couch to follow the duo to the kitchen.

"That k-kid is-is," Amelia didn't even finish her sentence, too preoccupied on breathing correctly.

The neurosurgeon took a sit directly on top of the counter, finally giving her legs a rest.

"Anthony, I think you broke my wife," the blonde playfully teased him as she opened a cupboard and took two glasses out.

"She said, "just run at your usual speed, I'll adjust my pace to yours,"" he explained in an apologetic tone.

"Of course she did," Arizona rolled her eyes as she handed a glass of water to Anthony. "Water for you too, babe?"

"Please," Amelia replied. "I couldn't have possibly guessed we were fostering a _racer_ now, could I?" she said before chugging the entire glass of water Arizona had just handed her.

Anthony and Arizona both chuckled at the brunette's flair for over-exaggeration.

"You're a great runner though," he smiled gently at the neurosurgeon. "You're faster than most of my friends."

"Where did you learn to run like that?" Amelia asked.

"I used to play softball."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Sofia started playing last year. She sometimes comes jogging with me too, but she finds it boring so she doesn't come very often."

"Why did you stop?"

"You know, foster care," Anthony shrugged nonchalantly. "Not enough money, not enough time, nobody to drive me to practice... Plus, the team I was in was taking itself too seriously, it lost its fun for me and I guess I grew tired of running after a ball…"

"Is there any sport you're interested in?"

"I think I'd like to play golf or something like that. Seems like a fairly laid back sport that makes you feel fancy when you play and stuff. And, that's like, the only sport where the attire makes you look nice."

"Golf?" Arizona said, a little surprised because golf was something she mainly associated with retired white people, like her parents for example.

"Does it sound lame?" Anthony asked, looking a tad the nervous and very self-conscious.

"No, it doesn't. We actually enjoy golfing every once in a while," the pediatric surgeon answered pointing to her wife and herself.

"Wanna hear a funny story?" Amelia asked cheerfully to the African-American teenager, excitement suddenly overtaking her features and her fatigue from the run temporarily gone.

Arizona grabbed the dish towel and gently hit her wife with it. "I thought we weren't going to talk about it anymore," she chastised with no real conviction if the small grin adorning her mouth was anything to go by.

"Oh, come on baby!" the brunette pouted, her bottom lip sticking out. "You told Anthony about my sandcastle stunt. I'm sure he would like to know the golf incident story too. Wouldn't you, Anthony?"

Anthony would be lying if he said his interest wasn't a least picked.

"You know what? I sure would, Amelia," he played along and sided with the brunette, hoping the blonde wouldn't get mad at him for wanting to hear the anecdote.

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be, huh? You two are going to gang up on me now?" Arizona giggled lightheartedly and she felt irrationally happy to see Anthony and Amelia having their fun together, even though it was at her expense.

Every doubt Anthony had about making Arizona feel angry dissolved into thin air. He loved it whenever the women would share stories with him about their quirky family. It allowed him to get to know all of them better, Sofia included, without feeling like he was intruding and he, more often than not, would also get a good laugh out of it.

"See?!" Amelia said in her I-told-you-so-tone to Arizona with raised eyebrows.

The blonde just shook her head, a small smile on her lips and she leaned her butt against the counter next to the brunette, "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Okay, so picture this," Amelia gave all of her attention to Anthony. "We're passing a few days at Arizona's parents, you know, having some mini-vacation away from home. It's pretty rare that when we go on vacation without Sofia but she was already on her own vacation with Callie at the time. Zona's parents live near a golf course and since her dad retired a few years ago, they golf pretty often. They even have a membership at the nearby golf center. So of course, we're like, let's take advantage of that and we decide to pass the day there all together. We hit the driving range first, we swing a few balls and once we're all good and warmed up, we decide to hit the real greens. Now, we're nowhere near great golfers, we're pretty meh I'd say."

Arizona agreed with her. "We're decent, let's say."

"We do a few holes, everything's great. It's sunny, there's not too much wind, Zona's dad's making golf joke left and right and her mom is eating it up like he's the best comic to ever walk the earth," she quickly turned to look at her wife. "Don't get me wrong, I love your dad and I think he is plenty funny. He was just pushing it a little that day, you know?"

Arizona chuckled and gently squeezed her wife's thigh to let her know that she wasn't in any trouble for saying her dad wasn't the funniest man alive.

"Anyway, it's the perfect day. Come, what? Thirteenth or fourteenth hole, I don't remember exactly. Zona's practicing her shot and swing and after a few tries, she moves onto the ball. She hits the ball and it flies away beautifully but Arizona's swing doesn't stop, her club's still high in the air turning right along with her. She yells and once she finally stops spinning, she stumbles around. Her prosthetic gets stuck into the golf cart and she falls down. And because of centrifugal force, Arizona ends up a few feet away from her prosthetic. You've seen Zona's prosthetic, right?"

Anthony nodded, having seen it a few times by now.

"So you know that from up close, you can tell that it's not a real limb, but from afar, it looks pretty real, right? Well, her parents and I are running towards Arizona to check on her but this old couple literally comes out of nowhere and arrives first, alerted by the yell. And the only thing they see is Arizona lying on the ground trying to get up, only one leg sticking out of her skirt and what looks like her other leg a few feet away. I swear, if heart attack was a scream, it was definitely the one that woman made that day. She screams and next thing we see, she faints right into her husband's arms who doesn't look too good either by the way. And that, Anthony, is the story of how my gorgeous wife swung so hard she made a woman faint," Amelia concluded with a bashful and proud smile. "Since then, her dad won't stop calling her his lil' bogeywoman."

By now, Anthony was laughing so hard, his belly was starting to hurt and while both women had heard him laugh before, it had never been this lively and this hard.

"For the last time, I did not swing too hard! A wasp flew near my face mid-swing, hence why I yelled and then stumbled to get away from it."

"There was no wasp," Amelia mouthed to Anthony and the teenager held back another laugh.

"There was," Arizona rolled her eyes. "And I still beat your ass that day."

"We were playing together as a team against your parents."

Arizona shrugged and smiled devilishly, "Still. I had less points than you."

"What can I say? It takes a lot of balls to play like I do," Amelia said confidently with a smirk.

Arizona was torn between laughing and rolling her eyes at her wife's extremely ridiculous yet funny pun. "You're a dork," she kissed Amelia's cheek. "See what I have to endure every day, Anthony?"

Now that they were finally in their home, where they felt the most comfortable and secure, their adoration for each other was even more evident to Anthony's eyes. It was a nice change from the barely-talking or love-less couples that had fostered him in the past.

Not even three weeks later, Anthony was standing on the green, an 8-iron in his hands.

* * *

A soft knock was heard and Anthony turned his swivel chair around to face the door.

"Come in," he called out.

Thirteen years old Harper entered the room shyly and gave him a small and tentative smile. Harper was a relatively small teenager, clearly at the beginning of her puberty and not having experienced her growth spurt yet. Her skin was a few shades darker than Anthony's. She looked around, taking in the room: the posters adorning the walls, the computer hardware and comic books littering Anthony's desk, the partially-made bed…

Her eyes lingered onto the picture sitting on top of Anthony's nightstand. It seemed to have been taken onto his birthday, if the candles stuck into the cake were anything to go by. Anthony was surrounded with Amelia and Arizona and a Latina teenage girl that Harper guessed to be Sofia. They looked _happy_.

Her new room was painted in a boring light grey color, the walls were all empty as were her selves. It felt cold and impersonal. Anthony's room looked… homey. Like a real personal space dedicated for him to exist in and not just sleep. He smiled warmly at her and motioned to his bed with a welcoming wave, inviting her take a sit and to get comfortable.

"So…" he said finally, after a long moment of just sitting in silence. "Did you settle in alright?"

Harper nodded. She didn't dare to tell him that she hadn't, in fact, settled in at all. Why bother getting settled in since she wasn't going to stay? She had learned that lesson a long time ago, probably sometime in between her fifth and tenth foster home. _This_ was her fourteenth.

"What's their deal?" Harper asked in a small voice, her fingers playing with a loose thread of her pullover.

It didn't take long for Anthony to figure out who the other teenager was refereeing to by they.

"Arizona and Amelia?"

She nodded. While he understood what she was asking, it also broke his heart because that meant Harper had probably had a similar experience as him in previous foster homes. The junky ones, the always-drunk ones, the fostering-for-money ones, the beat-you-up-for-no-reason-than-your-existence ones, the trying-too-hard ones… Anthony had lived with all of those types of foster families and more previously to living here. The thing was to identify which one it was so you could adapt as fast as possible and stay away from trouble. It had taken him a few weeks after moving in with Arizona and Amelia to shake off the feeling that the other shoe was going to drop, that one day he would wake up and both women would realize that they didn't want to foster him anymore, that if he didn't act nice all the time, they would sent him back or punish him… He couldn't blame Harper for feeling this way too.

He gave her a reassuring smile. "I… It took me a long time to figure it out. Who in their right mind wants to foster or adopt a fifteen years old black dude? So when my social worker said she had some thirty-something white ladies coming in to meet me, I thought she had made a mistake. Then boom, Amelia and Arizona walked in and you know what? They were nice and sweet, and they really wanted to get to know me. And when I say nice, I mean nice as in the-foster-family-you-see-at-foster-home-with-a-baby-nice. So I'm like, what's the catch, you know? But they just… they genuinely care. They genuinely want to provide a stable environment for you to grow up in and to become a reasonable adult. That's it. The only thing they expect of you in return is respect and honesty."

Harper looked at him with an eyebrow raised, looking skeptical.

"Look, I get it. It's weird. They're eager to get to know you so they ask about a bazillion questions a minute, they're giving you lots of stuff… You'll get use to all the caring and loving in a few weeks and you'll even grow to enjoy it."

"I…" Harper started to say only to realize she didn't know what she wanted to say. She wanted to believe him but it was hard to. So instead she changed the subject, "They talked about Sofia and you a lot."

Anthony didn't push back, knowing that only time would heal the emotional damages that years and years of living in the foster system had done.

"Nothing to embarrassing hopefully," he said lightheartedly.

"No. They just talked about your personalities, what sort of things you guys are into, showed me a few pictures… This kind of stuff."

"Arizona mentioned you were a computer savvy baby? Wanna help me on my new project?" he pointed to the computer hardware sitting next to his laptop.

The rest of the afternoon flew by as they did their thing. Anthony was happy to share his passion for computer science with someone. Sofia didn't really care about it and while he appreciated Arizona's and Amelia's efforts to learn a few stuff and to help him out from time to time, he could tell neither of them shared his enthusiasm for it. Still, it was very nice of them to try. Before they knew it, Amelia was knocking onto Anthony's door, telling them that dinner was ready.

* * *

Harper's and Sofia's relationship still remained somewhat of a mystery.

While Sofia liked to spend all her free time at the hospital, Harper wanted to pass hers at the skate park. Sofia was a girly-girl, Harper was a tomboy. Sofia liked comedies, Harper was a scary movie buff. Sofia was out-going, Harper was on the shy-side. Sofia loved pop music, Harper loved hard rock… They couldn't be any more different. Yet, two months into fostering Harper, the girls had grown inseparable. They were practically joined to the hip, found Sofia and you also found Harper.

Sofia and Anthony were surprisingly very protective of their new little foster sister. Her being black, Muslim, a foster kid and the smallest of her class was leaving Harper more vulnerable than either of her siblings liked and they felt as if it was their duty to protect her. Arizona and Amelia eventually had to remind them that it was their duty to protect and to take care of Harper, not Sofia's and Anthony's. It took a little while but eventually, the family found its new dynamic. Like the surgeons had speculated when they had first met Harper, she had fitted right in. And as they had predicted, they had fallen right in love with her.

* * *

"Took you long enough," Arizona said as Amelia finally came back to them.

"Yeah, sorry. The water station seems like a popular place for the ladies to hit on me so this is officially your last cup of water. I'm not sure I'll ever make it back alive if I have to go once again," Amelia complained with an exhausted sigh as she handed the cups of water to Harper and to the blonde before good-naturedly placing a protective hand onto the small of Arizona's back.

The blonde chuckled at Amelia's light disarray. "We're at a golf tournament baby and you're dressed like you're about to star on a show called "so you think you can lesbian?", what did you expect?" she explained with a playful tone, eyeing the other woman up and down.

"One would think the wedding ring would make it pretty clear that I'm not exactly looking," she said in a huff.

"I'm just saying, I can understand them. You're incredibly attractive," Arizona winked at her and kissed her cheek.

The tiny grin onto Amelia's lips and the gentle squeeze onto her lower back informed her that her diversion had worked.

"If you think I'm attractive then wait 'til you see my wife. She looks absolutely _smashing_," the neurosurgeon replied back smoothly and she let out a satisfied smile when she saw a faint blush coloring Arizona's cheeks.

"I don't know what makes me want to kill myself more: you guys' sickening mushiness and this boring-ass golf tournament," Harper said in a dull tone, not even bothering to lift her eyes up from her phone.

"Dramatic, much?"

"You're the one who insisted on coming," Arizona reminded her.

"Of course I wanted to come. Anthony's playing. He may be a pain in my ass most of the time but he's still my big brother. I'mma support whatever that big idiot decides to do. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Both Amelia's and Arizona's hearts melted at their daughter's words. They knew their kids all loved one another but to hear them say it out loud every once in a while never failed to lift theirs' spirits up.

Eventually, after another hour, the tournament came to its end. Anthony was surprised when he heard his name being called out for third place but he recovered quickly and walked towards the winner's podium, a proud and wide grin etched onto his lips. Anthony could hear his family loudly cheering for him from behind the railings and while he appreciated the gesture, he still felt a little embarrassed by it. Moreover, he could hear Harper hailing at him extra-loudly with a shit-eating smile. He knew that that little shithead was being embarrassing on purpose and he couldn't help but shake his head at Harper's playful behavior. One of the volunteer handed him his cup and barely was it in his hands that he spotted Arizona's phone coming up in the air. He didn't have to be next to her to know she was paparazzing him with all she had. Anthony had learned early on that the only thing Arizona took more pictures of than her wife was her children. Her phone was filled with so many pictures, it honestly was a miracle she still had any memory left. Anthony eventually gave in and turned his body towards his legal guardians, posing with his newly won cup in his hands so the blonde could have her perfect picture.

"You did so good Anthony! I'm so proud!" Amelia exclaimed as Anthony walked towards them and she hugged him tightly.

Arizona followed right behind her wife and wrapped her arms around the both of them. Anthony couldn't help but melt into their embraces and he hugged them back.

"That's the last time you guys take me to a tournament. You are officially the most embarrassing moms ever," he said teasingly, faking annoyance.

Even though the surgeons' behavior still sometimes made him feel a little bit ashamed, Anthony would take supportive and loving foster parents over absent and couldn't-care-less-about-you-or-sports foster parents any day. It felt incredibly nice to have adults caring about him. Nicer than he could have ever dreamed about in his wildest dream. After a few more moments though, Anthony threw his sister a look and they didn't have to use words to understand each other.

"Alright ladies, fan club hour is over," Harper said with a roll of eyes. "I think Anthony would like his ability to breathe back."

Both adults got the memo and stepped away, not without some reluctance. Anthony gave the other teenager a thankful smile.

"I guess you're not as bad as you used to be. You almost have a decent swing now," Harper lightheartedly teased.

"You little fucker. Thanks for coming," he replied softly and bumped his shoulder with Harper's.

"Yeah, whatever. It's not like I had plans anyway, might as well tag along," she shrugged nonchalantly.

Harper may not have had any plans with her friends, but Anthony knew she would much rather spend her free time at the skate park than at a golf tournament. He didn't bring it up though, instead letting himself be happy for his sister's presence.

"Plus, you obviously need me to help you with your groupies."

"Heaven forbid we ever show love to our kids," and "We're just so proud," came back as replies at the same time.

"Can we go talk to my friends for a bit before we have to go?"

"Sure, we'll wait here. Take your time, kids."

The blonde waited until they were a few feet away before pulling onto one of the belt loops of Amelia's pants, pulling her closer to her until she could wrap her arms around the other woman's neck.

"He said moms."

Arizona's smile was eating half of her face and her crystal-clear blue eyes sparkled with glee and accomplishment. The sun was hitting her blonde hair just right, giving her a golden halo and the small breeze was conveying the pediatric surgeon's beguiling and familiar perfume straight to Amelia's nostrils. Amelia almost forgot how to breathe a second. That wonderful human-being was her _wife_. She couldn't imagine a world without her and their kids. She was pulled out of her thoughts when a toddler happily yelled not too far away from them.

She cleared her throat as to get a hold on herself. "I do believe he used the term _embarrassing_ moms, babe," Amelia pointed out with a playful smile, putting a lost lock back behind Arizona's ear.

"I don't care what kind of moms we are, 'Melia. We're his moms," her eyes started to fill with happy tears and Arizona didn't even try to conceal them.

And the neurosurgeon knew exactly what she meant, because she could feel it in her bones too. This over-powering maternal instinct. She had been feeling it for Anthony before, there was nothing she wouldn't do for him or Harper, but the small "moms" slip-out only reinforced its strength. Arizona easily let herself fall into Amelia's eyes, her somber blue eyes telling her everything she needed to know.

Amelia wiped away the few tears that were rolling down Arizona's cheeks, her thumbs softly caressing back and forth to brush them away.

"We are," the brunette whispered against her lips and pulled her in a loving kiss.

* * *

Arizona and Amelia were meeting with a teenager and while it had started well, it took an unexpected and very unpleasant turn. They were making small talk and Arizona mentioned conversationally that Harper was Muslim. The teenager in question was not shy in voicing his point of view on Muslim people, making islamophobic statement after islamophobic statement. Needless to say, they decided to cut the meeting short.

His harsh comments hit both women hard. They were in a lesbian relationship, Arizona was disabled, Amelia was a recovering alcoholic as well as an ex-junkie, none of their kids were white, and one of them was muslim. Their family was very much a choose-your-own-discrimation for conservative people. To say they had gotten used to the judgmental stares and the hateful loudly-whispered-comments would unfortunately be an understatement.

It didn't stop Amelia from wanting to punch the kid though. Arizona laced her fingers with hers and squeezed her hand in order to calm her wife's nerves down. One look at her told Amelia everything she needed to know. The social worker walked them towards the front door, profusely apologizing for the teenager's behavior.

Before they could step outside though, a little body crashed into Arizona's legs. The tiny blonde looked up at the adult, long and wild blonde hair framing his face.

"Are ya a robot?" he asked her, a wishful glint shining into his bright blue eyes.

Arizona frowned, not understanding the question. The strong southern accent left little doubt about where the boy had been raised. His right hand skimmed over the metal of her prosthetic leg with great interest and the question suddenly made much more sense. She was wearing a skirt and while she normally used her skin-cover prosthetic leg when wearing a skirt, it was heavier than her bare mechanical prosthetic and she hadn't felt like dealing with heavy this morning. Not when it was Seattle's hottest week of the year.

"I-No, sorry, buddy. I'm not."

"Oh," he said, visibly disappointed but he quickly recovered and frowned at her instead. "Why do ya have a cool leg like that then?"

"So she can kick asses better," Amelia whispered to him like she was sharing a secret.

The little boy giggled hard and both women couldn't help but smile as the joyful sound filled the room. It felt nice to hear some joyful innocence after their difficult meeting.

"Ya said a grown-up word."

"I did," Amelia affirmed and she knelt down in front of him. "I'm Amelia and this," she pointed to the still-standing pediatric surgeon, "is Arizona."

"Arizona? That's a funny name," he stated.

"That's because she's a very funny person," Amelia said assuredly and looked up to give her wife a wink. "What's your name?"

"I'm Jamie. Can ya tell me joke?" he asked eagerly to the pediatric surgeon.

"James, come on, I'm sure Mrs Robbins and Mrs Sheperd have things to do," the social worker said with an apologetic smile.

"No, it's okay," Arizona said as she tried to think of a kid-friendly joke. "What's small, green and goes up and down?"

James lightly frowned as he thought of an answer. "I dunno."

"A pea in an elevator."

His whole face lighted up and he chuckled. "That's so silly. Why would a pea take the el'vator?"

Before the women knew it, they had been exchanging jokes and making small talk for over an hour.

* * *

"Mom, you just got a text from 'Melia."

"Can you read it to me sweetie, please?" Arizona asked since she was in the middle of mixing the batter for pancakes.

"Sure," Sofia replied. "_On my way home with Anthony's insulin. Can't wait to kiss your pretty face._ God, you guys are like one big soap opera," Sofia commented with a roll of eyes and faked to throw up before carrying on. "_And to fuck yo_\- DIOS FUCKING MIO MY EYES," Sofia yelled, shuddering in horror, and quickly threw the phone on top of the kitchen counter as if it had just burned her skin. "I'm going to need at least two years of therapy to get over that text."

Arizona could only imagine what the end of Amelia's sentence was and she looked apologetically at her daughter, "Oh, baby, I'm so-"

The Latina quickly put her hand up to silence her mom. "Nope. No talking. I'm going to feed the chickens and when I come back inside, this will have never happened," Sofia said and slipped her shoes on before heading outside.

When the neurosurgeon arrived home barely twenty minutes later, the smell of food and freshly brewed coffee welcomed her. Arizona was in the middle of flipping pancakes and she could hear the sound of cartoons coming from the living room which meant James was up.

She quickly discarded her shoes and her coat before walking up to the couch. Sure enough, her youngest son was lying on the couch with his eyes glued on the TV's screen and he was sporting one of the worst case of bedhead Amelia had ever seen. God, she was already fearing detangling this mess.

"Good morning munchkin'," she greeted him and kissed his forehead.

"Mornin' 'Melia," he replied sleepily.

Amelia could tell he hadn't been up for long so she decided to let him be until he was more awake and instead headed to the kitchen.

"Hello baby," she came up behind her wife and wrapped her arms around her midsection, her chin finding its place onto Arizona's shoulder.

"Good morning beautiful," the pediatric surgeon replied and tilted her head to the side to kiss Amelia's cheek. "How was your shift?"

"None of my patients died so I guess one could say I did awesome."

"One means you, right?" Arizona teased playfully with an eyebrow raised.

"Hey!" Amelia said indignantly and she gently swatted the blonde's side. "Asshole," she chastised lovingly and let go of the blonde to place the insulin into the fridge.

Arizona giggled as she put the last now-finally-cooked pancake aside and turned off the heat. "Just kidding. You're allowed to think you did great and to be proud of yourself, 'Melia."

The brunette jumped up on top of the kitchen counter to sit next to Arizona. The blonde moved in between her knees and let her fingers stroll up Amelia's thighs, giving her a flirty smile as they did so. Amelia raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

"Confidence is very sexy," she said seductively in a low voice as she slowly leaned in.

The brunette's face immediately relaxed and a familiar feeling awakened in between her thighs. Her lips met Arizona's halfway and let herself be pulled into a languid kiss. Out of breath, she pulled away and a satisfied sigh escaped her. Arizona chuckled at her slightly dazzled look and softly squeezed her thighs. Amelia shook her head to chase away the dirty thoughts that clouded her mind.

"What about you? How were the kids last night?" she asked, needing a distraction.

"Well, dinner was a mess as usual. Harpy and Sof went to bed fairly early so Jamie decided he and Tony should have a boys' night."

"What did Jamie make Anthony do?"

"BFF bracelets," Arizona said with a fond smile and Amelia chuckled as she pictured the five years old coaxing the seventeen years old into making bright-colored beads bracelets with him.

"Damn, he truly has all of us wrapped around his little finger, doesn't he? Is he the only one up yet?" she gently lay her arms onto the blonde's shoulders, not wanting the blonde to go away just yet.

"No, Sofia's outside feeding the chickens, but the others are still sleeping. I think you may have traumatized the kid."

"What? Why? What did I do? I wasn't even there," she frowned.

"You know your cute text? I was cooking so Sofia read it out loud to me."

Amelia gave her a puzzled look and her eyebrows furrowed in lack of understanding, "Okay? And wha- oh," she stopped mid-sentence when realization hit her, her mouth forming a perfect o-shape.

"Yes, oh. She's been feeding the chickens for almost twenty minutes now," the blonde giggled and gently caressed her wife's thighs to bring her some comfort.

* * *

"Zona?" James asked shyly as he looked up from his boat toy in the bath, abruptly stopping his splashing around.

"What, Jamie boy?" the pediatric surgeon asked back with a kind smile.

She was sitting next to the bathtub directly onto the bathroom floor, playing with him. James was the only one out of all their kids, fostered or adopted, that ethnically looked like he was biologically theirs. His fair skin, long wavy blonde hair and clear blue eyes... he was the spitting image of Arizona.

He looked down, obviously thinking over whatever he was going to ask and his face turned into a focused scowl. A look that held way too much seriousness to belong on the five years old's face. Eventually, he made up his mind and his eyes searched up to find Arizona's.

"Are ya and 'Melia my mommies now?" he asked hesitantly.

Arizona froze in place and a gasp escaped her before she could even try to stop it. She could feel the blood loudly pumping into her ears and her heart skipped a beat, maybe two. James had been living with them for a little over five months now and while Amelia and she were expecting the question at some point, both women thought it wouldn't come until much, _much,_ later.

Her wife and she didn't expect any of their foster children to call them moms. They loved and cared for each of them, they were their legal guardians and there was no doubt in their mind that Anthony, Harper and now James were theirs. Harper and Anthony had already been teenagers when they had first come to live with them. They had been old enough to decide what they had wanted to call their foster parents. Both surgeons respected their choices to call them whatever they felt the most comfortable with. Anthony used the moms on occasion, though he usually just called them by their names. Harper had pretty much converted to the mom and ma by now. Sofia had been partial to the mom and 'Melia, Ma being for Calliope.

"I-uh…" she was at loss of words, rendered speechless by a five years old.

"I know I had Daddy and Mommy before but they're dead now," he said somehow sadly but he willed himself to be stronger, his little hands fidgeting with his plastic toy boat, a habit Arizona knew he had picked up from Amelia. "But now I live with ya and 'Melia and you do everythin' like my mommy and my daddy used to. So are you my new mommies now?"

"We're fostering you. Your daddy and your mommy will always be Jennifer and Daniel, sweetheart," Arizona said with a reassuring smile, her thumb lovingly caressing his cheek.

After a lengthy discussion, Amelia and she had agreed that it was important to keep the memories of James' now deceased parents alive. They obviously didn't know a lot about Jennifer and Daniel, just what James had told them but they wanted to make sure that James knew it was okay to talk about them and to miss them. They even had the only picture of them James' had of his parents framed so it wouldn't get too damaged by time.

"Yeah, I know. But ya're raisin' me, ya're takin' me to school, ya're punishin' me when I'm bein' too silly, ya're tuckin' me at night, ya love me and I love ya… Sometimes, when ya and 'Melia pick me up from school, I pretend that ya're my mommies and that Anthony and Sofia and Harper are my big brother and my big sisters."

Arizona's heart skipped a few beats again and she was very thankful she was already sitting down because she was sure her knee would have given out had she been standing up. Her eyes prickled as she tried her hardest to hold her happy tears back.

"You do?"

"Yeah," he said eagerly and blushed right after, obviously surprised by his own small outburst.

A tear made its way out and once the waterworks were turned on, there was no more holding back. Tears rolled down Arizona's cheeks one after another at an alarming speed and a warm wave of love and affection washed over her whole body, leaving her feeling all mushy inside. The only thing missing in this moment was Amelia, who was at work. Arizona couldn't wait to share this moment with her lover. She was pretty sure the brunette would have a reaction similar to her own, no doubt they would both be crying messes as soon as Amelia was home.

"Please don't cry! I'm so sorry, I'll never bring it up again. Please, stop! I'm sorry," James started crying too, upset because firstly, he had just made the blonde cry and secondly, because she didn't want him to call her mommy.

"Oh, they're happy tears, sweetheart," Arizona immediately reassured him with a chuckle and grinned widely at him. She wiped her tears away with the back of her hands and sniffled. "Come here," she opened her arms and the little boy lost no time in throwing himself into them, water and all.

Arizona couldn't care less that her shirt was wet or that he had just poured water all over the bathroom floor in his enthusiasm. She took a deep breath in, the familiar smell of James' artificial fruity shampoo invaded her nose and his warm steady breath tickled her neck.

"I love you so much," she whispered to him and kissed the top of his head.

"I love ya too, mommy," he mumbled into the crook of her neck.

* * *

"Mom?"

The pediatric surgeon stopped what she was doing, leaned her rake against the wire fence of the chicken coop and re-adjusted her cap to get a better look at her daughter who was standing a few feet away from her, just outside of the henhouse. "Oh, hey Harp. What's up?"

"Can I borrow you for a few minutes?"

"Right now?" the blonde rubbed the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Please?" Harper nodded. "We have something to tell you and Ma. It'll be quick, I promise. It's not like the chickens are going anywhere anyway."

Arizona's eyebrows shot up almost comically high in surprise. "_We_?"

"Jamie, Tony, Sof and I."

Now, the blonde was intrigued. What latest non-sense had their kids come up with? It wasn't a rare occasion for the four of them to gang up behind their legal guardians'/moms' backs to discuss what they felt like were important family matters or house-related stuff. So far, it had led to the purchase of a new video-game console, a heated debate about the toilet seat (eventually, it had been decided that it was to stay down) and a new distribution of household chores.

"What's going on, sweetie? You're kind of scaring me," she asked as she followed the African-American teenager inside the house anyway.

She was even more confused when she found her wife already sitting on the sofa, their other three kids standing in front of them on the other side of the coffee table. It very much felt like they were going to do a presentation but on what subject, Arizona had no idea. Harper gestured at her to take a seat, which she did.

"What's going on?" she whisper-asked to the brunette as she sat down next to her, her hand strolling onto Amelia's thigh.

"Your guess is as good as mine sweetie, I have no earthy idea. I was in the middle of cutting up some vegetables for dinner when Anthony came and got me."

"Mushrooms?" James interjected excitedly.

"Oh, bud," Anthony said with a sad yet comprehensive tone. "We already ate mushrooms at lunch."

"So? I liked 'em a lot."

"Yeah, you did," Harper huffed out and mocked, "You had sauce _allllllll_ over yourself."

"Fuck off, he's five," Anthony scolded Harper. "I'm with you on this one, bro. Those were some delicious mushrooms," he fist-bumped his little brother and James beamed at his big brother's support.

Sofia cleared her throat loudly to get everyone's attention. "Maybe we should get back on why we're here?" she suggested before things could escalate any further.

"And _why_ are we here exactly?" Arizona asked.

"It's nothing bad, you guys relax," Sofia said with a reassuring smile that did very little to appease Amelia's and Arizona's worries.

"So, you already know how we all would like to have a pet," Anthony started softly, his tone uncertain.

"Other than the chickens!" James stepped in.

He was probably the only one in their family along Arizona to consider them as pets and not simply as fowls and egg-makers.

"Other than the chickens of course," Anthony re-assured.

The neurosurgeon started to open her mouth to argue but Sofia held her hand up to stop her.

"We know, we know. Harper's allergic to almost everything with hair, we don't know if the next child we'll foster as any animal phobias, and who is going to take care of it and where will it live and what if we go on vacation and yada yada yada," Sofia said in a fed-up tone, repeating the speech they had heard God-only-knew-how-many-times from their moms over the last few years.

"What animal _could_ we adopt? Something hairless, not scary, doesn't mind the chickens, budget friendly…"

"Good to pet," James added.

"Took us a few hours to all agree but eventually, we found the perfect pet for our family. You want to do the honors, Jamie boy?" Harper asked her little brother.

"TURTLES!" James exclaimed proudly, throwing both of his arms up with excitement, his toothy grin eating half his face.

"Or more precisely, Hermann's tortoise," Harper corrected gently. "They're about yeah big, cute black and yellow shell. They mainly eat weeds, like dandelions, nettles, grass… all of this kind of stuff that grows right into our backwards, so we wouldn't really have to buy any food for them."

Arizona knew it must have taken them hours to agree on the right pet, so the fact that they had all come together and had taken time to brain-storm together, warmed her heart. Innocent moments like this… she never felt more accomplished than in those moments. Whether their children were adopted, fostered, or biological, in innocent moment like this, they proved to Arizona and Amelia that they were, above all, a family. The big, loud, diverse and loving family the surgeons had dreamed about when they had first wanted to foster had now become their reality.

"All we would really have to do is to build an enclosure for them. It would cost approximately a hundred dollar in raw material and the girls and I could build it. We thought, if that's alright with you Arizona of course, that we could use the Grim Reaper's space."

"The Grim Reaper's space?" Arizona asked with an eyebrow raised, not knowing what Anthony was referring to.

"You know, the space where you tried to plant absolutely every single plant available on the market for the past three years but nothing ever takes?"

"They're not wrong, babe," Amelia agreed sympathetically and supportively squeezed the hand on her thigh.

Realistically, Arizona knew that that damn patch of grass was doomed, but she still had hope that one day, one day or another, she would plant something there and it would survive for more than three months. Maybe it was time to take a step back and accept that this dream would probably never turn into a reality.

"But where would we find such creatures you might ask? Well, Sof and I find this old couple online. They're moving out of their home into an apartment to be closer to the city, and since they don't have any kids, they're giving their two tortoises away. They live near Cumberland, we know it's a little far away but look at the pictures they posted," Harper took her phone out and found the right pictures before handing her phone out to her moms.

Amelia let out a little happy sigh at the sight and a small smile grew onto Arizona's lips.

"Ain't they cute, mommies?" James asked them with big doe eyes.

"They certainly are," Amelia affirmed. That much couldn't be denied, they were cute.

"Hairless? Checked. Not scary? Checked. Doesn't mind the chickens? Couldn't care less. Budget friendly? Abso-fucking-lutely. Good to pet? Also checked. Plus, you know, cuteness overload."

Arizona looked over at Amelia, completely astonished that their children had come together and had actually done that. The tortoises did look awfully cute and the kids had obviously done their researches.

"What do you think?" Anthony asked.

"I don't know what to say."

"You could say yes."

"You guys really did think of everything, didn't you?" Amelia asked.

"Come on, mommies!" James put his head onto Arizona's knees, putting on his best pout on. "They need a family."

Arizona looked at her wife and squeezed her thigh. Amelia seemed as shaken up and as proud as her.

"Well, your case has been heard but your mama and I need to discuss it a little more in depth before we make any executive decision, okay?"

"Harpy, can you send me the link to that tortoise post so we can contact the owners if we need to, please?"

"Sure ma," Harper complied eagerly, because this was definitely a good sign.

Two weeks later, the six of them found themselves sitting in the grass, completely in awe as Donatello and Flash were safely discovering their newly built home.

* * *

They had been a little hesitant when they had first read Elliot's file. The boy was eight years old, beautiful Asian features, deep green eyes and the toothiest of smile. His favorite activity to do in the whole wide world was apparently to solve puzzles. He liked superheroes and was really passionate about animals. The thought of him meeting their pets and the neighbor's dog brought a smile onto Amelia's face. However, the words "prone to tantrums", "selective mutism", "severe dyslexia", "lone wolf", "extreme shyness" made them a little unsure about meeting him. After lengthily talking it out with his social worker, Karen, they eventually agreed to at least arrange an encounter with the boy.

A week later, Arizona and Amelia were standing inside Elliot's group home. They had seen their fair share of group homes by now and this one was clearly on the sad side. Not a lot of space, lots of children, plenty of sharp-edged furniture to bang against… Elliot was a very quiet soul, rarely talking unless prompted to do so. After a good twenty minutes together, the Asian-American started to loosen up and to open up. Sure, he wasn't the most talkative kid but they still considered it a win, especially acknowledging his selective mutism, his timidity and the many warnings from Karen that he might not talk to them. They primarily talked about things Elliot was interested in so that he would feel comfortable and safe.

Something kept running through Arizona's mind the whole meeting though. And the more time they passed with him, the more the thoughts were present. Little facts about him would register into her brain before she could stop them. And she kind of hated that she was a pediatrician right now. It was supposed to be a bonding moment, yet the doctor inside of her wouldn't stop butting in. She registered the way Elliot would flinch whenever one of the other kids would yell or that there was a loud sound, the way he would more often than not not get a joke, the way he always swiftly moved away to avoid any touching... Add to that, tantrums, lone wolf and selective mutism… One word kept on glaring at her from the back of her mind.

Autism. Elliot wasn't a difficult kid like his file made him out to be. He was just _autistic_. Now, of course, they had just met the kid so the blonde couldn't say for sure but she was around enough autistic children on a daily basis to notice a few obvious tell-tales signs. She let out a breath of relief. At least, knowing meant she could adapt her behavior and hopefully make Elliot feel more at ease around them.

She felt someone squeeze her leg and she noticed she had zoned out. The brunette sitting next to her gave her a concerned look, her eyebrow slightly furrowed but Arizona gave her a reassuring smile.

"Later, babe. Nothing important," she whispered to Amelia and kissed her cheek before giving her attention back to Elliot.

* * *

"The real question is: are we ready to provide for an autistic kid?" Amelia asked as she joined Arizona under the sheets.

"Do you have doubts?" the pediatric surgeon asked and turned around to lie on her left side to look at Amelia.

Her hand slowly roamed up her wife's thigh until it reached her waist and she soothingly caressed her hipbone. Elliot had been occupying Amelia's brain as of late, which she could understand. She, too, had been thinking about him a lot, the picture of him biting his bottom lip to hide his smile and his hands curling up into small fists in enjoyment warming her heart every time it would come to her mind. While she knew Amelia was absolutely as smitten with him as her, the brunette had obviously been over-thinking his autism a lot more than her. She had caught Amelia reading an article on meltdowns a few days ago, she had been talking to Phoebe's mom, one of Harper's and Sofia's friend that happened to be autistic, most in the last week than in the past year they had known her… While Arizona found Amelia's newfound need to suddenly know everything about autism in order to understand Elliot better utterly adorable, she knew this new obsession was deeply rooted in self-doubt, insecurity and low confidence. So Arizona had let her mull it over, let her figure her feelings and thoughts out on her own… but after two weeks, Arizona thought it was finally time for them to address the big elephant in the room.

"I'm- I'm not sure that I'm the person he needs," the neurosurgeon admitted, her voice coming out feebler and more vulnerable than she would have liked.

"He may be autistic but he is still just a kid, 'Melia. What he needs is the same thing as Harper, or Anthony or Jamie. People caring for him and loving him, making him feel secure and looking out for him so that he can grow up into the best version of himself."

"I know that. It's just," her fingers came to nervously toy with the hem of Arizona's sleeping shirt as she gathered her thoughts. "You work with autistic kids with all the time. You know how they process, how they think, how to act accordingly-"

Arizona opened her mouth to argue but Amelia held a finger up before she could get a word out, indicating that she wasn't done.

"I know, I know, autism is a spectrum and every autistic person is different. But you still have knowledge that I don't. What do I do when he has a meltdown? What if I do or say the wrong thing and make it worse? The more I learn, the more I realize there are a million things that I don't know. How can I make him feel safe and sound and loved when I'm so unsure of myself all the time?"

Arizona's chuckle surprised her. She didn't know what reaction she had been expecting from Arizona, but it certainly wasn't giggles. The brunette frowned at her wife, her fingers stopping their movement.

"I'm not mocking you, baby, I swear," she pecked the brunette's lips in reassurance. "It baffles me how you're so invested in this yet, you're second guessing yourself so much. God, you're so fucking blind sometimes."

Amelia's frown deepened, not understanding what the pediatric surgeon was implying.

"You really don't see it, do you?" Arizona asked lovingly and let go of her hip to push a fallen brunette lock back behind Amelia's ear. She bored her bright blue eyes into Amelia's. "The very fact that you're even thinking about all of those things is the very reason why we should foster him. That, that _thing_ you've been doing over those last two weeks, is typical foster parent's behavior. It's the same as when we first started to foster Harper and we learned all of those Muslim-related stuff so she would feel accepted and cared for and most important of all, loved. Sure, we didn't get it all right right away and we made a few mistakes at first, but after a while, with some efforts and a lot of talking with her, we learned. It's no different with Elliot. We're not going it be foster parents to an autistic kid, we're going to be foster parents."

"I just… I like him so much, 'Zona. He's so precious," the neurosurgeon said with a small and tentative smile.

The blonde smiled back at her, much more confidently, "I know, baby. I like him a lot too. That lip-biting thing he did when we put that challenging puzzle's last piece in during our last meeting? I swear my heart swooned at how hard he was trying to hide his smile."

"Right? He looked so damn proud of himself. Did you notice how cute his dimples are whenever he does that?"

Sparkles illuminated her wife's eyes and Arizona recognized that look immediately, having getting well acquainted with it over the years. Deep-rooted and utter visceral maternal love. She was happy to see Amelia finally letting go of her self-doubt and fear of failure to instead give way to her excitement and her hopefulness over the possibility of fostering Elliot. To see the brunette allowing her heart to _feel_ it without her brain censoring it. Seeing Amelia so ecstatic never failed to make butterflies erupt in the blonde's stomach.

"Don't even get me started on those dimples. It was so freakiiiiing hard to not give in and kiss them," Arizona replied while pushing the brunette onto her back and moving on top of her in one swift move. "I love you so much," Arizona murmured against the other woman's lips before pulling her into a sweet kiss.

She felt Amelia's hands wander under her sleeping shirt, one hand strolled to her lower back while the other roamed to her butt and gave it a soft squeeze.

"I love you too," Amelia lovingly whispered back and pecked her, pulling away with a wide grin. "We're going to foster again."

"We are," Arizona said with a smile just as big, "I think this calls for a celebration," she smirked.

Before Amelia could even ask what she was implying, lips landed on her jaw to lavish it with lustful kisses. The brunette closed her eyes and she let out an appreciative sigh when Arizona sealed her mouth onto her pulse point.

"Mmmmh-mmmmh, it does," Amelia agreed, her mind already half-clouded with desire.

Arizona let go of her skin just before she could leave a mark. Fingers tangled into honey blonde hair, short fingernails gently scrapping her scalp, and she was pulled into a languid kiss. Amelia's lips powerfully crashed against hers and her tongue invaded her mouth quickly, exploring her with fervor. The sound of the toilet being flushed down the hallway suddenly slowed them down though.

"We should probably celebrate with a locked door, though," Arizona suggested.

"We definitely should."

* * *

When Elliot moved in with them a little over a month after meeting him for the first time, the surgeons had made sure that their other kids weren't around so he wouldn't feel too overwhelmed. Harper and Sofia were currently staying at Callie's place while Anthony and James were at Derek's.

Until then, they had always let their foster kids decide how they wanted to decorate their room. It was going to be their space after all, so it was natural to bedeck it as they wished to. After debating it for a long time though, they had eventually chosen to decorate Elliot's room beforehand. Hopefully, it would make him feel more at home and help to make the transition more seamless. So with the kids' help, they had filled the room with plenty of stuff they knew Elliot liked. They wanted the room to feel as cozy and as secure as possible for him.

The little gasp and the few tears that escaped Elliot when he entered his new room made every hammer hit Arizona had inadvertently hit onto her fingers rather than onto the nails instantly worth it.

* * *

You try telling an overexcited, awfully touchy feely and outrageously out-going five years old kid that his new foster brother wasn't big on physical contact. James had been unconditionally ecstatic since his moms had told him they were going to foster an eight years old and that it would potentially lead to his adoption. Their youngest loved his elder brother and sisters, but they were much older than him so he was thrilled to have a new brother only a few years older than him.

Barely had his eyes landed on Elliot, was he sprinting towards him. He hugged him with all his might, momentarily forgetting all about his moms' warnings in his excitement. At first, Elliot didn't react. He stood frozen in place, neither pushing James away, neither reciprocating the embrace. Amelia's breath caught in her throat and she felt Arizona's squeeze her upper arm in worry. Both surgeons were feeling really apprehensive and were fearing a meltdown from sensory overload but they didn't dare to interfere until it was crystal clear that Elliot was upset. A few seconds later, the Asian-American pushed the other boy away and a few tears ran down his cheeks.

"Shit," Arizona murmured.

"What- why ya cryin'?" James asked him with a puzzled look with furrowed eyebrows, not understanding Elliot's behavior.

"Hey baby, why don't we go inside and let Elliot have a little breathing room?" Amelia asked James as she took his hand in hers and gently pulled him into the house, letting Arizona and Elliot together.

"Did I do somethin' wrong, mama?" he asked, obviously confused about what had just happened.

On one hand, the neurosurgeon didn't want James to feel guilty or bad but on the other hand, she knew it was important to explain to him why his behavior might have been a little too much for Elliot to handle so that he could adjust it. "Oh, baby. Remember what we talked about with mommy? About Elliot being autistic?"

The little boy nodded. "Yeah. Means he's more sensitive so we have to be extra-careful 'round him."

"Exactly. And you remember what we said about touching?"

"To ask Elliot first?"

"Yes, and you running towards him and hugging him without asking, do you think it was being extra-careful?" she asked calmly, wanting James to figure out on his own what he had done wrong instead of him feeling like he was being punished for something he didn't understand.

"I was just so excited mama," he admitted with a saddened sigh.

Amelia kissed his forehead and sympathized, "I know, baby. I know."

"He's gonna be okay?"

"Of course he'll be okay, buddy. He just need a little time alone to calm down."

"Do ya think he's mad at me?" his fingers started to toy with his mama's.

"I don't think so. But I think apologizing wouldn't hurt."

Thankfully, with Arizona's help, Elliot recovered from his meltdown pretty quickly. Being older, the teenagers understood better how to adapt their behaviors to Elliot, greeting him quietly and kindly, never touching him unless Elliot initiated the contact first.

"I'm sorry 'bout earlier. I didn't mean to scare ya," James told him once his brother and his sisters had introduced themselves.

James was standing a few feet away and Arizona could tell it was on purpose, out of fear of upsetting Elliot again.

"It's okay," Elliot said, obviously feeling a little hesitant towards the other kid and trying to figure out where to stand.

"Nah. I'm really sorry I made ya cry. Can I hug ya better?"

"No," Elliot said firmly and took a step back, a little fearful.

"Why?"

"Because I don't like touching."

"Oh," he said, disappointed. "How do people show ya they love ya then?""

"I-I," Elliot frowned, trying to think. "I don't know."

Arizona could swear she felt her heart cave inside her chest. The fact that Elliot didn't _know_ what it felt like to be loved was absolutely heartbreaking. She heard someone sniffle next to her and sure enough, her wife was doing her hardest to defy gravity by not letting the few unshed tears filling her eyes fall down. Arizona gently grabbed her forearm and pulled her closer until she could wrap her arm around her shoulders protectively. Amelia let out a deep breath as she pushed back down her emotions.

"I know, sweetie. But he's here now and that's all that counts," Arizona murmured to her before she dropped a kiss onto her temple and softly squeezed her shoulder.

Amelia simply nodded, knowing Arizona understood exactly how she was feeling.

"It's okay, we'll figure somethin' out!" James announced with a sincere smile like it was the simplest thing in the world. "I love ya."

"You don't, you don't know anything about me."

"But I wanna."

"Why?"

"Because ya're gonna live here and be a part of our family and all my sisters and my big brother and our mommies are my best friends and I love all of them."

* * *

They would never forget the first time Elliot broke a glass. He was walking towards the kitchen to put it into the sink so someone else would put it in the dishwasher since he was too small to do so when he accidently slipped. The glass shattered onto the floor loudly and sent glass shards flying absolutely everywhere and he inadvertently fell down straight in the middle of it. Anthony, who was playing video games with his sisters in the living room, dropped his joystick as soon as he heard the crash and ran towards the Asian-American. Harper and Sofia turned around to look at them over the back of the couch, the video game suddenly forgotten.

"Fuck! Elliot?"

"NO! PLEASE, I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! I'LL CLEAN IT, PLEASE!" Elliot crawled away from him as fast as he could and curled his body up into the tiniest ball humanly possible, wrapping his arms around his knees and putting his hands over his ears.

Elliot's tone shocked everyone within earshot. The three teenagers couldn't believe that this big voice had just come out of the child's mouth. The eight years old didn't talk much and whenever he did, his voice was always really soft, rarely louder than the volume one would use to converse with someone a few feet away from them. So, to hear him shout sure got all of their attentions.

Amelia, who was putting new sheets on with James' help rushed out of the bedroom as soon as she heard the commotion, her son hot on her heels. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened and what all of that ruckus was about.

One second, tears were prickling Elliot's eyes and the next they were rolling down his cheeks, a hiccup escaping him. Drips of blood were running down his hands. Before the adult could say anything, Anthony knelt next to him, mindful of the glass shards, and held out his hand in order to get him out of the cutting hazard surrounding them. Elliot's eyes almost popped out of their sockets in fear, and he crawled further away, tears falling down faster than before.

"**DON'T TOUCH ME**!" he yelled with a sob.

Amelia's heart broke when she realized that Elliot thought Anthony was going to physically hurt him. He was _scared_. More than scared, he was absolutely fucking terrified. The touching, the loud noises, people rushing towards him, all of this in less than two minutes… No wonder Elliot was having a meltdown. While she still felt like Arizona was way better at handling them than she was, Amelia was getting more comfortable at it, learning and understanding something new with every meltdown and with every lengthy discussion about them with Elliot.

"Would you guys mind going to your rooms for a few minutes?" The neurosurgeon suggested to her children, knowing that the less people were around, the better.

"I-yeah. Sure," Anthony replied, feeling like a failure for scaring Elliot further by trying to touch him.

She could see that her children were a little astounded and clearly wanted to stay and help out but they complied anyway. Once everybody was gone, Amelia turned her attention back to a still-sobbing Elliot. Of course, all she wanted to do was to take Elliot in her arms and away from all the shards, to clean up his wounds and to hold him close until he was feeling okay again. Except, she could do none of that. It would be extremely counterproductive and wasn't what Elliot needed.

"Elliot, I'm going to sit down where I'm standing, okay?" she asked softly.

The little boy looked up at her warily through his tears and gave her the faintest of nods. She sat down exactly where she was standing, not moving an inch closer to him to not scare him.

"Is that better now that it's just you and me?"

He nodded again, this time more firmly.

"Elliot, I promise nobody is mad at you. I don't care about the glass, but I do care about _you_. Are you hurting anywhere?"

The Asian-American shook his head. At least, the little cuts onto his hands weren't painful.

"Can you use your voice baby?"

Elliot shook his head vehemently.

"Alright, you just hold up your hand if I do or say something wrong. It's okay to be scared. It was really scary and all of a sudden, there were a lot of people, uh? Do you want me to get you your stuffie?"

He shook his head, not wanting the adult to go away.

"Do you want me to stay here?" she asked, making sure he wanted her here.

He nodded.

"Okay, then I'm going to stay right here. I'm not going to come any closer. Do you want to just sit in silence until you're feeling alright?"

Elliot nodded, needing the quiet after the sensory overload. His head felt like it was about to explode, blood pumping loudly in his ears. Just sitting there and doing absolutely nothing while watching Elliot's tears subside and his breathing coming back to normal was one the hardest thing Amelia ever had to do. Her maternal instinct was screaming at her to envelop him with tenderness and love, to whisper sweet nothings to him.

After a good fifteen minutes of sitting together in silence, Elliot wasn't crying anymore and he looked around him, seemingly seeing the glass shards littering the kitchen floor for the first time. The neurosurgeon could see the wheels turning inside his head.

"It's okay, it was just a glass. Just furniture," Amelia reassured him. "Are you feeling ready to get up now?"

He nodded and got up. Amelia followed his lead, her joints crackling loudly as she got up.

"How about we clean up your hands? I know you don't want to be touched but we really need to get those glass bits out."

Elliot looked down at his hands for a long time, pondering Amelia's words. The neurosurgeon knew the physical contact was probably putting him off but she needed to get the shards out.

"I promise I'll be as gentle as I can and I'll tell you every time I'm going to touch you."

Eventually, the Asian-American agreed and followed the neurosurgeon to the bathroom. Amelia cleaned up the little wounds onto his palms, describing to him everything she was doing and Elliot was watching her every move. To his credit, he didn't flinch or moved away and Amelia wondered if it was because she was describing what she was doing or because Elliot was slowly coming back to normal.

"No serious boo-boo so you don't need any band-aids."

She could tell Elliot hesitating to say something, his lips were pursed and he was looking at her cautiously.

"Kiss it better?" Elliot asked shyly after a long moment of consideration.

Amelia's heart skipped a beat at the question. First, because he had just talked and two, because he was asking for physical contact. She tenderly kissed both of his palms with a caring smile before releasing them.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"No. Wanna rest," Elliot said with a shake of his head.

Amelia smiled reassuringly at him. She knew meltdowns usually took a lot of energy out of Elliot and he needed some alone time after.

"Okay, but we'll have to talk about it later, alright?"

"'Kay."

She opened the door and they found four children with their ears pressed against the door. When it opened, they all stumbled forward but recovered quickly by pretending to look around the bathroom with great interest, as if they hadn't been just caught spying.

"I uh- I cleaned up the shards," Harper informed them.

"Thanks," Elliot replied timidly.

"You're more than welcome, buddy."

"Ya feelin' better now?" James asked, his brows slightly furrowed.

It was still hard for James to understand his brother's autism. Their three teenagers had adjusted quickly and while James was trying his very best, it was a difficult concept to grasp for him. Moreover, his personality was very out-going, extraverted and touchy-feely and at five years old, he didn't quite have the self-control to stop his natural instincts yet. He was getting better at it though. Elliot had been living with them for only a little over a month now and Arizona and Amelia could already see the small changes.

* * *

"No," Amelia mumbled out grumpily as she hit snooze.

Arizona was heard chuckling sleepily next to her and the brunette buried herself further into her pillow, refusing to accept the fact that it was time to wake up. She felt her wife move around and soon enough, she was rolled softly onto her back, lips wandered up her neck only to finish their race onto her mouth, pulling her into a sweet kiss.

"Mmmh, yes," Amelia mumbled with her eyes still closed and pulled her into another kiss.

Amelia's fingertips unhurriedly brushed down Arizona's ribcage until she reached her lower back and slipped her hands under her sleeping shirt, the warm skin shivering at the welcome intrusion.

"Good morning babe," she whispered against the blonde's lips with a smile.

"Good morning indeed," Arizona replied, her voice tinted with sleepiness and burgeoning desire.

Arizona laced their legs together as her mouth found her wife's once more. Her tongue caressed Amelia's bottom lip and not even a beat later, her mouth opened and she deepened the kiss. Thumbs lovingly rubbed her back back and forth and she let out a satisfied sigh. She felt her body melt under the touch and her right hand was strolling up Amelia's waist when a loud rooster yell was heard.

"Fuck this rooster," Amelia whined sulkily and the blonde chuckled.

"I'd rather fuck you instead."

"I like where your pretty head's at," Amelia said in one breath and she tangled one of her hand into honey blonde hair.

"Wait until it's in between your legs, you'll like it even more," Arizona flirted back.

"God, you're the best wife ever."

Arizona giggled. "I do try," she gently pecked the brunette before pushing away the sheets carelessly.

One would think that with five kids under their roof, Amelia would have learned to wear pajamas by now. This wasn't the case. She had tried to, especially after James had moved in with them since knocking had been a foreign concept for him at first. But eventually, she realized that if she wanted to be able to sleep, restfully sleep without turning around every five minutes and wake up every hour, the pajamas would have to go.

The pediatric surgeon shimmied down so she could capture a nipple into her mouth. She heard Amelia's breath get caught in the back of her throat and her back arched forward, seeking more contact. Arizona glanced up at the clock on the nightstand and since it was a school day, she knew their kids would be up soon so they had to be quick. The nipple instantly turned hard and the blonde's tongue softly stroked it which earned her a satisfied sigh. She switched side, her mouth closing in around the other bud and gave it just the same treatment. Short nails scrapped her scalp and hips eagerly rolled under her as the brunette spread her thighs apart to accommodate Arizona better.

Not losing any more time getting distracted by her wife's breasts, no matter how much she loved them, Arizona headed further south. Hands took over where her mouth had just been and her fingertips teased the buds with well-practiced ease. She kissed her way down Amelia's body, skin shivered at the contact of warm plump lips and the grip onto her hair tightened. She could feel Amelia's heat growing against her belly and she couldn't wait to taste her.

"MOMMIES!" was yelled from the hallway, followed right after by the sound of little feet hitting the ground loudly.

Amelia whined harder than previously out of frustration and let her arms fall by her side in a dramatic motion, which made the pediatric surgeon laugh. She placed a light kiss onto her wife's sternum and let herself fall next to the brunette, pulling the sheets up alongside her to cover the both of them. Without much surprise, a knock came from their door only a few seconds later.

"Yes?"

A bright smiling James barged in and crawled up in between his mothers on the bed. His long blond hair was a wild tangled mess and his smile was starting to miss a few teeth here and there.

"Hey!" he greeted them cheerfully.

Between their usually three broody teenagers at home, James' and Elliot's optimistic and sunny attitudes were becoming more and more appreciated by the day.

"Morning Jamie," Arizona pushed a few locks of hair around, trying to tame it but not succeeding. "Did you sleep well?"

He eagerly nodded. "Yeah."

"Are the others up yet?"

He shrugged. "I dunno."

"Time to go and wake them up then," Amelia said. "How about you go wake Anthony? I'm sure he'll be happy to see your pretty face first thing in the morning."

"Ya think I'm pretty?" he pointed his index towards his chest.

"Of course you are sweetheart! You're very pretty," Arizona confirmed.

"Thank ya," he blushed slightly at the compliment but his face was beaming. "But ya the prettiest, mommy!"

Amelia pretended to be appalled, a fake-betrayed look overtook her features and she put a hand on her heart. "What about me?"

"I guess you're okay," Arizona playfully replied back with a nonchalant shrug and stuck her tongue out to the neurosurgeon.

Amelia's mouth fell wide open at the teasing remark.

"No! Mama and mommy are both as pretty!" Jamie exclaimed and he hugged them both.

Amelia dropped a kiss on top of his head. "Thank you, munchkin. At least _someone_ in this family loves me," she gave her wife a pointed look. "Go wake big Anthony, okay buddy?"

"Kay mama!" he nodded and he placed a wet kiss onto their cheeks before running out of their room.

Amelia snuggled into the blonde, taking great delight into her softness. "God, I just want a peaceful morning and have a quickie with my wife before we have to go to work, is it too much to ask?"

"We can finish this later," Arizona chuckled and sweetly kissed the other woman's forehead.

As much as she wanted to finish their quickie too, once one of their kids was up on a school day, she knew there was simply no way of being intimate. Not without them being late for school or scaring one of their children for life.

"Come on, these kids aren't going to wake themselves up. I'll get the girls, you'll get the boys?"

Amelia nodded before getting up and putting some pajamas on, not without some leftover dissatisfaction. She went to Elliot's room, letting the door slightly ajar so the light could enter the room. Elliot was lying onto his belly, starfished in the middle of the bed and occupying all the space he had at his disposal. As much as Elliot didn't like physical contact, he disliked the loud and scary sound of an alarm clock even more, so every morning one of the surgeons would gently rub his arm up and down and whisper sweet nothings to him until he was awake enough to get up

"Elliot, wake up buddy," she whispered in a kind tone.

His face scrunched up and he moved around, coming to consciousness slowly. He rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes with his fists.

"'Melia?" he mumbled, all sleepy like.

"It's me. Time to get out of bed and to get ready for school, sweetheart," she murmured as she pushed a few brunette locks away from his beautiful eyes.

The Asian-American yawned and he sat up, pushing the sheets away and extending his arms up, prompting Amelia to carry him. The simple fact that Elliot initiated the contact made the brunette's heart swell with fulfillment and love. She settled him onto her left hip, thanking God he was so lightweight. They passed by Anthony's room, which was empty meaning James had accomplished his mission.

She could hear the sound of TV and the coffee machine in the background. James was already sitting on the couch, hypnotized by the bright and colorful cartoons, and Amelia slowly lowered Elliot down next to him before heading towards the kitchen.

"Good morning Anthony."

The teenager lifted his gaze up from the coffee machine. "G'morning Amelia," he bent down to kiss her cheek.

"You already dressed?" she asked as they both set the breakfast items out on the table for everyone.

"Yeah, I'm catching an early bus. Taylor has a big history test today and he's ridiculously nervous about it. I'm helping him go over some last-minute flash cards and hopefully, he'll stop being so anxious over no reason."

"Harpy!" James ran towards her as she entered the open living room and wrapped his tiny arms around his sister's knees. He looked up at her and gave her his most radiant smile, "Can ya braid my hair this mornin'? Pretty please?"

"Sure dude. Let me eat breakfast first and then I'm all yours okay?" she ruffled his blonde hair affectionately.

"'Kay, but hurry! I'm almost done."

Harper went over to the couch and knelt next to Elliot, she waved at him with a smile. "Hello buddy."

He waved back confidently, a timid smile gracing his lips.

"Did you sleep nice?"

He nodded and Harper smiled reassuringly at him, blowing him a kiss.

"Good," she got up and sat down at her usual spot around the table. "Hi shithead, hi mom."

The neurosurgeon frowned when she didn't see Sofia with her other daughter.

"Hello shortie," Anthony replied.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Where's Sof'?"

"You know we're not _always_ together right?" Harper replied and rolled her eyes. "She's finishing her make up."

"Yeah, right," Anthony sneered and took a sip out of is coffee mug. "You can't even go a day without face-timing when she's staying at Callie's. You guys are the most co-dependent sisters I've ever encountered."

"And you are most asshole-y brother I've ever encountered," she replied drily as she spread some blueberry jam onto her toast.

"Please no insults before nine AM?" Amelia chastised her and put some items onto a small tray for Elliot, James and herself since the trio would usually eat breakfast in front of the TV on school days.

"I HEARD THAT!" James said loudly from the couch, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"What did you hear, sweetheart?" Arizona asked as she entered the living room.

The blonde was dressed ready for the day and with the help of some light make up, it almost looked like she had had her recommended eight hours of sleep. She went over the couch and waved good morning to Elliot who waved back a small smile.

"Harper said a bad word," James said.

The African-American girl rolled her eyes. "Snitch."

"I ain't a snitch!" James frowned, obviously upset.

"Yes, you are."

"Well maybe if you were more careful with that potty mouth of yours, your brother wouldn't have anything to snitch about," Arizona said pointedly to her daughter with a tight smile and took a sit next to her, in front of Anthony. Her wife had already spread jam onto her toasts and her favorite coffee mug was already filled up, waiting to be savored. "Hey Harper, hello Anthony."

"Mornin' Mom," Harper replied with her mouth full.

"Good morning Arizona."

Amelia passed by the table with a tray in between her hands. "That's a very good point. And he's only five, be nice to him and apologize," Amelia chastised.

Before Amelia could move away any further, Arizona gently grabbed her forearm and pulled her closer. "Thanks for the breakfast, 'Melia," the pediatric surgeon said with a loving smile and bent her head backwards, her lips pursed up for a peck.

"You're more than welcome, babe," the brunette said as she carefully leaned forwards and indulged the offered lips.

She then joined her sons onto the couch, sitting in between them, the tray resting on her laps

"Sorry Jamie boy."

"S'okay. I still love ya, Harper."

"Love you too."

"Where's Sof?" Arizona asked to Harper with furrowed eyebrows when she noticed that the Latina wasn't with them.

"Dios mio," she said exasperatedly. "We're not a package deal. She's doing her make up."

Thirty minutes later, Sofia, Harper and Anthony had gone to catch their respective buses. Now, both surgeons were waiting for Elliot to finish tying up his shoes and for James to finish up brushing his teeth so they could get going too. Arizona kept glancing at the brunette every few often, a goofy smile making its way onto her face every time she did so.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Amelia eventually asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No reason," she shrugged. "I'm just… happy and I love you is all," the blonde kissed her cheek.

However, no matter how sweet her wife's reply was, it did little to appease Amelia's suspicions that something was going on. She racked her brain and tried to figure it out but it was cut short when Arizona said rather loudly, "James, come on! We're going to be late!"

"We're kind of already late anyway, Zona," Amelia chuckled beside her.

She held up Elliot's coat up to help him out and the boy easily glided his arms into the sleeves.

"Thanks," the Asian-American said sweetly and when he looked up at her, he cocked his head to the side and lightly frowned.

Amelia frowned back, something was definitely up.

"COMIN!" James yelled back from the bathroom and sure enough, a few seconds later, he came running in, his long braids flying all over the place. He giggled as he saw the brunette. "Mama, ya hav-"

Arizona placed her hand over her son's mouth to stop him. "No time for giggling around young man. Did you brush your teeth?"

"Yep," James replied, annoyed and rolled his eyes for good measure.

"Background check. Open your mouth," the neurosurgeon bent forward to inspect his now opened mouth and she sighed. "Go brush your teeth now. Quickly."

"But I just did!" he complained.

"You smeared toothpaste on your teeth. Doesn't count as brushing in my book."

"Uhhhh-fine," James whined unhappily but still turned around to go back to the bathroom.

* * *

"Bye mommies, I love ya!" James exclaimed cheerfully and leaned in between the two front seats of the car to place a drooly kiss on each woman's cheek.

"We love you too, sweetie, have a fun day at school."

The five years old excitedly jumped out of the car and wrestled a tad to get his giraffe backpack straps right onto his shoulders but eventually got it right.

"Bye Arizona, bye Amelia," Elliot said much more quietly with a shy smile and a small wave.

Both mothers turned around and gave him warm and loving smiles. They still didn't really know where they were standing on morning goodbyes, still tiptoeing this area. Elliot had actually surprised the both of them a few days ago by kissing them goodbye, but hadn't done it since. Elliot rarely showed his affection in the traditional way of physical contact, instead being way more discreet and focusing all his happiness in clenched fists, bottom lip biting to hold back a smile and moving back and forth on the ball of his feet in excitement.

Both women took whatever the boy was ready to give them. All they wanted was for Elliot to feel like he belonged in their family just as much as any of their family members did. So they let him took the lead on whatever he was feeling comfortable with.

"Goodbye honey. You go and have a good have a great day at school."

"We love you."

The Asian-American didn't reply but ducked his head timidly, both women could see him faintly blushing at the admission and his little fingers curled up into a small fist.

"Elliot, hurry, we're gonna be late!" James prompted his brother.

He hopped out of the car, much more carefully than his little brother. Just like every morning, they stopped in front of the front gate and turned around. Once James spotted his mommies' car, he kissed the palms of his hands and blew them a kiss while Elliot waved at them. And like every morning, both surgeons rolled down their windows, waiting patiently to catch their kiss before waving back.

* * *

"God, that parking job is about as straight as you are," Arizona teased lovingly as she got out of the car.

"Oh, fuck off, we're late," Amelia chuckled.

They were speed-walking towards the hospital, determined to at least make it for the end of rounds when a tall redhead suddenly appeared next to the blonde and fell in line with them.

"Hello Owen, running late too?" Arizona asked him conversationally.

"Yep. What's your excuse?"

"We have five kids to wake up and to get ready for school. I feel like that's an excuse enough," Amelia replied pointedly.

"Touché," Owen chuckled. "Is it the reason you didn't have the time to wipe the toothpaste off your face too?"

"I-what?" Amelia stopped walking and quickly wiped her mouth clean with her sleeve, feeling very self-conscious.

So _that_ was what had been up this morning. Arizona walked pass by her and the brunette could hear her giggling.

"I can't believe you were going to let me go on about my day like this, you asshole," the brunette said to her wife as she ran up to the duo who was waiting for the elevator to come down. She lightly bumped her shoulder with Arizona. "You're lucky I love you."

Arizona tilted her head to the side as she softly pulled the brunette closer to her and pecked her sweetly. "Luckiest woman on the whole damn planet indeed," Arizona confessed lovingly.

* * *

Arizona and Amelia may not have been there for their kids' first toothless grin, their first word or even their first steps but they would never forget, for the life of them, the first time they had hugged, the first time mom or ma had slipped out or the first time they had ever shared I love yous.


End file.
